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'A, 






MOORESTOWN, 



OLD AND NEW. 



A LOCAL SKETCH 



By JAMES C. PURDY. 



/ 




MOORESTOWN, NEW JERSEY, 
1886. 



to^W' 






Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1886, 
In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 



Printed and Stereotyped by 
W. J. Lov«ll, JMoorestown, N.J. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER T. 
Introductory, ^ 

CHAPTER II. 
The Beginning, 8 

CH'APTER HJ. 

After the Stot 13 

CHAlIf im IV. 
"Thei?eLiveda IVUn,'^ s; 

CHAPTER V. 
Revolutionary Days, 31 

CHAPTER VI. 
Rapid Transit, 51 

CHAT TER VII. 

Coaching Times, 65 

CHAPTER VIII. 
Coming of the Railroad, 80 

CHAPTER IX. 

New Elements, •, . ' 93 

CHAPTER X. 

StroatiS and Roods, 1^2 



CHAPTER XI. 
North of the Railroad, 115 

CHAPTER XII. 

Religious Bodies, 125 

CHAPTER XIII. 

The Schools, 159 

THAPTER XIV. 
Societies and Institutions, 190 

CHAPTER XV. 
The News of the Day, 229 

CHAPITER XVI. 

The New Station, . 243 

CHAPTER XVII. 
In Later War Times, 248 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
Old Houses and Landmarks, 257 

CHAPTER XIX. 
A Dish of Old Gossip, 292 

CHAPTER XX. 
Some Old Reading Matter, 314 

CHAPTER XXI. 
An Old Neighbor, 329 

CHAPTER XXII. 

Moorestown To-Day, 344 

CHAPTER XXIIt. 
Moorestown in 1900, 352 



Moorestoiun, Old and I\Fe 



zv\ 




Chapter T. 

Introductory. 

'OORESTOWN had its pioneer days as trul)/- 
as Tincup, or Tombstone, or Chicago, 
or Denver, only longer ago. Not many 
of us stop to think of those days, how- 
ever ; and there is nothing in the present 
aspect of the place to encourage such thinking. 
The pleasant old town with its steady and com- 
fortable solidity, and with the lighter elegance of its 
more recent development, seems to those of our 
day almost a part of the landscape itself; and to 
imagine the landscape a wilderness, with no Moores- 
town in it, and with only Indian wigwams to mark 
the site of the undreamed of town, demands a 
nimble play of the faculties. 

Still, we all like to "think back," and it is some- 
times a profitable as well as an interesting thing to 
do. The man who gives a sympathizing thought 
to the first settler riding his horse through storm 
and mud along a path of his own surveying, will 
(5) 



t> MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEV 

i 
i 



[thus better appreciate his own quick and easy trips; 
in a comfortable railroad car ; and the lady of to- 
day will find a new pleasure in her next shopping^ 
expedition if she has bestowed a sympathetic sigh 
upon her early predecessor, who had to make the 
thing she wanted " and make the thing to make it 
with." The citizen will take an added interest in 
the beautiful streets of his town, and in the cosy 
homes ranged all about, after he has tried to find 
traces of the abundant spring that is said to have 
first attracted white settlers, and induced them to^ 
place their cabins among the Indian wigwams on 
the ridge in Rodmantown ; and we will all enjo}^ 
our holiday seasons the better for remembering 
that the old-time residents had their fun too, and 
that the mineral spring at Colestown attracted gay 
parties of pleasurers to the Fountain Hotel there. 

And all the steps of progress from the old times 
to the new, if we could trace them, would be of 
interest and of profit. The advance from the Indian 
trails to turnpike roads, and to railroads ; from the 
casual news a distant neighbor chanced to bring, tO' 
the frequent daily mails, and the telegraph and the 
telephone ; from the wigwam and the log cabin to 
the elaborate modern home ; from the horse-back 
journey to the stage-coach ride, and from that to 
the speedy railroad trip — all these things must 
interest each of us. 

It is partly with the purpose of meeting and satis- 



INTRODLCTOIIV. 

lying the interest sugf^estecl that this unpretentious 
little volume has been prepared. There has been 
jio effort to make it a detailed and exhaustive his- 
tory of Moorestown. That is a task which, it is to 
be hoped, an abler and more competent hand will 
accomplish some time in the future. Some little 
history there is in the book, but so far as the old 
times are concerned the aim has been to eive 
reminiscences rather than history; personal recol- 
lections and traditions rather than official records. 
But it is not alone with the old times that w^e are 
■concerned. After all, the old times were but step- 
ping stones on the way toward the new times ; and 
if Moorestown had remained what it was a hundred 
or even fifty years ago, our interest in it would have 
been but vague and remote. It is the Moorestown 
of to-day that w^e care most for. Therefore the 
town as it now is, and the process of its evolution 
have been dealt with to some extent ; and note has 
been made of the introduction of new elements and 
the growth of new influences which, working in 
connection with the old, have made Moorestown 
v/hat it is — one of the most thriving as well as one 
of the most charming places of rural residence to 
be found within a long journey from Philadelphia. 



Chapter II. 
TJie Beginning, 

'HE first house in Moorestown was un- 
?<MIU14 doubtedly a wigwam. The town, as we 
6"3c^i^ know it, lies along a ridge a little South 
of the center line of Chester township. 
This ridge is about two miles in length, 
and its direction is a little North of East and South 
of West. The town, long and narrow, stretches 
from below the " Forks of the Road" on the West 
well up towards "North Bend" on the East; over- 
looking a lovely valley that borders its whole 
length on the South, and spreading out, in recent 
years, a goodly distance beyond the railroad on 
the North. Every one must appreciate the charm 
of the location; and the Indian had been gratifying 
his appreciation of it a long time before the first 
white man came to share the situation with him. 

An abundant spring of good water existed at the 
foot of the ridge ; south of where Elisha Barcka- 
low's l.ouse now stands, on the South side of Main 
street, below Union street, West Moorestown. 
Tradition says that that spring, with its bountiful 
supply of pure and sparkling water, decided the 
location of MooiLStown, The Indians understood 

(8) 



THE BEGINNING. g, 

its advantages and settled on the ridge in its neigh- 
borhood. As the squaws had to carry the water 
this fact would indicate that our red predecessors 
here had a tenderer consideration for their women- 
folk than is generally supposed; or else that 
women's rights had thus early gained a foot-hold 
among the aborigines. Later, when the white 
settlers came in, the spring was a decisive influence 
with them also, and their cabins grew up among 
the wigwams on the slope near the fountain. The 
spring still exists but its ancient glory has departed. 
Its mission was accomplished long ago. 

Just when these first white settlers came here, or 
who they were or whence they came, are matters 
that neither history nor tradition sheds much light 
upon. According to the law of primitive growth 
the navigable water-courses controlled the location 
of the first settlement in the region. Penisauken 
and Rancocas creeks were such water-courses, and 
the first English settlement in this vicinity was 
planted between the branches of the Penisauken; 
and all Chester township, including what are now 
Cinnaminson and Delran townships, was originally 
named Posomokin, or Penisauken, from the Indian 
town already existing there when the first white 
settlers came. The banks of the Rancocas gained 
their share of settlers not long afterwards, and the 
holdings of white men gradually extended along 
both streams. People are easily crowded in a new 



lO MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

country. Where there is plenty of room every- 
body wants a good deal ; and so the pioneers and' 
their civilization are shouldered farther and farther 
into the wilderness. So the first creek settlements 
soon began to throw out off-shoots ; but not, at 
first, into the interior. 

Tvloorestown has no navigable streams, and so it 
had to wait for roads. The Burlington and vSalem 
road, called " King's Highway," was laid out in 
16S2, and passed along the ridge on which Moores- 
town stands. With the road came settlers, and 
they appear to have come from the Penisauken and 
Ran cocas settlements at about the same time, the 
Penisauken pioneers coming by way of West 
Moorcstown, and those from Rancocas by way of 
East Moorcstown, meeting and mingling after a 
time on the ridge in the neighborhood of the spring. 
The official records do not deal with these scouts 
who came ahead of the adv^ance guard of civiliza- 
tion. Those Vv'ho came later came with due 
regard to the formalities, and their names and 
the limitations of their holdings were properly 
recorded. But these first comers were ''squatters,"" 
as are the first comers into all new regions. Their 
enterprise gave them the choice of location, and. 
dicy sat them down where they pleased, and pos- 
sessed such of the land as suited their notion.. 
Afterwards, when an adjustment of titles became 
necessary, some of them formally secured their- 



THE BEGINNING. 1 1 

poscjsslons, and others established squatter sover- 
eignty elsewhere. 

There are no log cabins left among the land- 
marks of old Moorestown. If there were they 
would be older than the oldest building now left 
standing here, for they would show the earliest 
order of architecture introduced by white men into 
these parts. In the course of time men generally 
contrive to command circumstances to some extent, 
but to begin with, the circumstances command 
them. The earliest homes in any community arc 
of the kind dictated by the surroundings. On the 
great prairies sod-houses and '' dug-outs" shelter 
the first families ; in the depths of the forests log 
cabins are the obvious refuge. There was no 
prairie here, and logs w^ere the available building 
material. The whole region, in the early times, 
was thickly wooded, and the settler had a very- 
different experience to that of the *' homesteader" 
of our day who takes up a claim in the treeless 
regions of the West. Here the axe had to clear the 
way for the plow, and the plow had to make a large 
allowance for stumps. In these days one has to 
take a long walk to get into the woods. In the 
days of old a still longer walk was necessary to get 
out of them. The clearing process would seem to 
have been a slow one; for even so late as forty 
years ago the forest still held to much of its 
ancient dominion, and people not much past middle 



12 MOORESTOV/N, OLD AND NEW. 

age talk of taking little walks out of the village into 
the woods in all directions. 

As may be supposed there were a great many 
more logs than were needed to build the walls of 
the few cabins, and about the first busiuess enter- 
prises we have record of were saw-mills and tan- 
neries. Much of the timber here consisted of oak 
and chestnut — kinds that saw-mills and tanneries 
could make good use of. Grist mills were put up 
here and there ; schools and places of worsliip were 
provided, and, with the agricultural beginnings 
already made, here was a civilized community iiv 
full process of development, and MoorestQVv'u had", 
passed beyond its be^^innin^"". 




Chapter III. 
After the Start. 

rLTHOUGH somewhat bigger, Philadelphia 
is only a very little older than Moorec- 
town. About 1682, the year that Wil- 
liam Penn reached the shores of America, 
and the year befoie he purchased his 
town site on the bank of the Delaware, Thomas 
Hooten and his son Thomas located 600 acres of 
land on Rancocas creek. This was the year in 
which the "King's Highway" v/as laid out, and wao 
a good time for real estate investments here. In 
1689 John Hollinshcad, already in possession of 
1000 acres, had 150 acres additional surveyed for 
him. These two properties extended from Ran- 
cocas creek to near v/here the toll-gate nov/ is on 
the Mt. Plolly and Moorestown turnpike. 

In May, 1686, v/hen Philadelphia was about 
■three years old, Dr. John Rodman bought 500 
acres in what is now known as West Moorestown ; 
and in July of the same year Thomas Rodman 
bought 533 acres in the same neighborhood. These 
were the two wings of the regular army of title- 
lioldcrs, advancing from the East and from the 
V/jst upon the domain of the " Squatters." 
(13) 



14 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

The beautifully simple and direct way of doing 
things in those days would at first sight appear to 
have obviated all difficulties as to the ownership of 
real estate ; but in reality the methods adopted had 
served to complicate matters, and the squatters had 
far the easiest time of it. In 1664 Charles II., King 
of England, had, by such means as satisfied him- 
self, come into possession of the New Netherlands. 

Of this additional American territory he, by 
Royal charter, dated March 20, 1664, granted an 
extensive tract to his brother, the Duke of \^ork ; 
and the Duke, with a generosity easily afforded 
under the circumstances, made a present of what is 
now the whole of the State of New Jersey, to a 
■couple of his friends — Lord John Berkeley and Sir 
■George Carteret. This munificient present was 
bestowed on the 23d of June, 1664, and to save the 
formalities pretended to be a sale ; James, Duke of 
York, receiving the consideration of ten shillings 
lawful money of England, and barg-iining for an 
annual rent of one pepper-corn. The two noble 
proprietors of New Jersey — or Nev/ Cesarea — 
granted a constitution to their province, and invited 
settlers ; but troubles about titles arose, and some 
settlers who had bought land of Indians refused to 
pay rent to the new proprietors. An insurrection 
ensued ; then the Dutch recaptured their old pos- 
sessions, and after mixing things up somewhat, 
surrendered the territory to the English again. 



AFTER THE START. 



15. 



All this raised doubts as to the validity of the 
Duke of York's title to the property he claimed^ 
and he obtained a new patent. His governor 
under the new charter, claimed jurisdiction over 
New Jersey, holding that the two proprietors had 
lost their right by the Dutch conquest. This 
claim of his was finally negatived, but for a long 
time a troubled and unsettled condition of affairs 
existed. 

Finally Lord Berkeley became tired of the real 
estate business, and seeing little prospect of profic 
from his five shilling investment, offered his share 
of New Jersey for sale. His interest was purchased 
by John Fenwick and Edward Byllings, two mem- 
bers of the Society of Friends, for one thousand 
pounds, and became known as West New Jersey. 
Fenwick came to America with his family, and 
settled upon his new possesions ; but Byllinge 
remained in England and before very long, by 
reason of financial difficulties, assigned his property 
for the benefit of his creditors, William Penn and 
some other Friends being the assignees. In the 
adjustment of his affairs the assignees sold a con- 
siderable portion of his share of West New Jersey, 
the sales being to many different purchasers and of 
various extent. Those who bought became part 
proprietors of the future state. 

A constitution was adopted, a formal division 
of the province was effected, and many immigrants. 



1 6 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW, 

chiefly Friends, came in from England to settle. 
Commissioners were appointed by the new pur- 
chasers to examine and confirm titles ; and it may 
readily be imagined that their task of adjusting and 
clearing the claims to ownership was no easy one, 
for King Charles' simple method of acquiring and 
conveying had resulted in a badly tangled state of 
affairs. The task was satisfactorily accomplished 
in time, however, and so effectively that the work 
done then has held good ever since. Under Queen 
Anne, after the transfer of the province to the 
crown by the proprietors on April i/th, 1702, there 
was no disturbance of titles; and after the colony 
became a state, titles seem to have been adjusted 
to the new order of things without any friction. 
It is claimed that all land belonging to the Indians 
was obtained from them by fair and honorable 
purchase, and that good titles were good by right 
as well as by legal observance. 

The building of Moorestown, instead of begin- 
ning in the centre and spreading outwards, began 
at both ends and advanced towards the middle. 
There were two settlements, and neither of them 
was Moorestown to begin with. The one at the 
East was Chesiertown when it had grown sufficient- 
, ly important to have a name, and the one at the West 
was Rodmantown. Perhaps it would be more nearly 
correct to say that the place as a whole was some- 
times called Chcstertown, and that the Westenii 



Ai'l'KlL THE START. j^ 

end was occasionally spoken of as Rodmantown: 
Both names are easy to trace. Some of the more 
prominent and influential ones amon:;- the early 
settlers were from Chester, England, and love 
lor the old home led them to transfer its name 
to the new home they had chosen. So the town- 
ship in which they settled was called Ciicstcr, 
and the name was easily extended to the chief 
village within its limits. The extensive proprietor- 
ship established by the Rodmans in the Western 
part of the settlement, would readily explain the 
fastening of their name upon that portion of the 
village. It would appear, however, that the name 
was not generally adopted, or applied for any long 
time. 

The aboriginal inhabitants whom the vAutc set- 
tlers had for neighbors were one of the numerous, 
branches of the Delaware tribe. They were friendly, 
as that term goes in describing the relations of 
Indians and white men, and for the most part they 
and their white neighbors got along harmoniousl)^ 
enough together. It would appear, however, that 
the red man did not forget that he was the first 
comer ; and he had his own way of asserting himself 
as rightful lord of the domain, and showing that he 
regarded the whites a.s merely tenants at will. 
Whenever, for instance, he took a notion to enjoy 
civilized cookery, he had no hesitation in saying 
so; and the housekeeper of whom the demand was 



15 iM(JOKi;.-5l'UWx\', (JLU AND NET/. 

made was generally prompt in complying with it. 
It may not always have been cuite convenient — 
indeed, there are vag"ue traditions of in.-^tancc;; when 
it was quite th: reverse — but that was a condition 
of affairs that had to be accepted and vj'\dc tlu 
best of ; and the compromise v/as maintained 
unbroken. 

Then, too, the Indians, when they had gathered 
a good deal of rancor toward the white men in 
general, sometimes worked off some of it on the 
particular white men hereabouts, and made life a 
somewhat uneasy, if not uncertain, aftair for the 
time being. Various annoyances were visited upon 
the settlers ; live stock was made to suffer ; the 
people were made to feel apprehensive and dis- 
trustful ; women and children were terrified ; soli- 
tary riders had more or less unpleasant experiences 
in the woods, and sometimes word came of murders 
■committed. It was the old, old story — old as the 
first contact of the two races — of wrong done and 
revenge wr'^aked. But here, so far as known, no 
serioLis wrong was complained of, and the minor 
ann(^}-ances and depredations experienced at the 
hands of the Indians seem to have been but the 
rcsmlt of general irritation, while the usual character 
oftlieintercoursebetween the two races was amicable. 

In 1758 the Indians here, in common with all 
those in the colony, released all their claims to 
lands and removed to the reservation of 3044 acres 



AFi'KM iill-: START. 1 9 

purchased for them in Evesham township, in this 
County. There they hved in complete harmony 
with their v.diite neighbors until long after the Rev- 
•olution. Buildings of various sorts, including houses 
of worship, were erected for them, and their settle- 
ment was called Brotherton. At length the rem- 
nant of the red men there removed to Oneida Co., 
-N, Y,, where they had relatives whom they wished 
to join. Atthis time they numbered only 63 adults 
In 1822 they removed to Green Bay, on Lake 
Michigan ; and in 1832 the last of the Indian claims 
in this State was extinguised by the purchase of 
their remaining fishing and hunting rights. So 
disappeared, with their brethren, these earliest 
.inhabitants of Moorestown. 

The purchasers of the Indian Reservation lands 
'in Evesham indulged their natural antipathy to 
.the tax-collector so far that they resisted the .pay- 
ment of taxes on the lands they had purchased. 
They claimed exemption under the act by which 
the lands were granted to the Indians, and the 
'Supreme Court sustained tlieir claim. In 18 14, 
however, by some adjustment of the difficulty, the 
payment of taxes began ; and in 1877 it was lorm- 
-ally decided that the lands were taxable. 

As has been said, saw mills and tanneries repre- 
sented the earliest business enterprises here, always 
excepting agriculture. Perhaps the first saw-mill 
■erected in this section was ivlatlack's. It stood on 



1>20 



MOORESTOVVN, OLD AND NEW.. 



Wagon Bridge Run, a stream that rises East of 
Moorrstown and runs Southwesterly, about half 
a mile South of the Moorestovvn ridge, to join the 
North Branch of the Penisauken Creek; before 
reaching which it takes the name of Hooten's Mill 
Stream. The mill stood near the Elbow Lane 
Road. Hooten's saw mill, on the same stream, 
stood East of the Marlton Road. It \v^s a very- 
old mill when it was taken down in 1850. Another 
old saw-mill was Samuel R.obbins' mill, on a stream, 
that empties into the South Branch of the Peni- 
sauken. LcConey's grist mill now occupies its 
site. Another was Joseph Burroughs' mill on a 
small branch of the Penisauken. It has entirely 
disappeared. 

As to the tanneries, there were many of them, 
some occupyiiig positions in the town which it would 
occasion no small amazement to see so occupied 
now. One old establishment of the kind was 
located on the Main street, West of Union street. 
The buildings, greatly dilapidated, remained on the 
ground until 1879, when they were torn down. 
The property passed into the hands of Albert C. 
Heulings,and handsome residences took the place of 
the tannery buildings. When the tannery business 
was started there is not known, but the place \v3.s 
owned and operated by Thomas Bispham for some 
time prior to 1 806. In that year he sold the property, 
and successive owners carried on the business 



AFTER THE START, ' 21 

until some time after 1820, when active operations 
-ceased. The buildings, however, were left to 
•cumber the ground until a few years ago, as already- 
stated. This location is also memorable, in that 
tradition says that on it was the site of the hotel 
kept by Thomas Moore, the enterprising settler 
who gave his name to the town. 

On the eastern portion of the farm of the late 
John Perkins, in the extreme western end of the 
village, there was a tannery which was burned 
down in 1 820. George Matlack was the last to 
-carry on business there. The old well used in the 
business was filled up not many years ago. 

But the largest establishment of the kind here 
was situated in what is now the heart of the village. 
It was on the North side ot Main Street, and 
•occupied the ground on which the Methodist 
Church and two or three of the buildings below it 
now stand. It extended back to Second Street, and 
was for a long time actively operated by James 
Robinson, an English bachelor. This property 
•also, was a part of the ground owned by Thomas 
Moore, but he and his wife Elizabeth sold it a good 
many years before Robinson got possesion of it. 
It passed through a succession of ownerships until 
1793, when it was purchased by Robinson. After 
his death his niece, who had lived with him, return- 
•ed to England ; and in 1822 the tannery was pur- 
chased by William Boradaile and SamueJ H. 



22 MOORESTOWN, OLD A^^ NEW. 

Edwards. They carried on the tanning business, 
for a number of years when they were succeeded by 
Isaac Saunders. He continued the business for a. 
time, and eventually the .property passsd into the 
hands of Amos Stiles. Under his ownership the. 
old business was not carried on, and the tannery 
went to decay. The old buildings were destroyed 
by fire in 1838 ; and after the death of Amos Stiles, 
in 1856, the ground was sold off in building lots.. 
Another industry, tributary to farming, milling 
and most other operations, was blacksmithing. 
Farming was not done by machinery in those days.. 
There were no mowing machines, no reapers and 
binders, no steam threshers, no horse drills — only 
the simple appliances that took account of personal 
skill and strength as a principal element of success^. 
Therefore the blacksmith was, to a considerable 
extent, an agricultural implement maker. An. 
enterprise in this line was undertaken by Reuben 
Matlack, about the year i r8o. He had been trained 
to the blacksmith's calling, and set up a sickle and. 
scythe mill on the South Branch of the Penisauken,, 
near wdiere the Salem road crossed it. He fitted 
up his mill with a trip hammer, and for a time 
carried on the manufacture of the curved swords of 
peace quite actively. A difficulty arose, however. 
To gain sufficient power to operate his mill he was 
obliged to *'back" the water of the stream to such 
an extent that the back water overflowed the lands. 



AFTER THE START. 2% 

of some of his neiglibors ; and that no wrong mlgnt- 
be done he suspended his work for a time. A way" 
seems to have been found ot obviating the difficulty,. 
for operations were eventually resumed. The- 
sickle mill was afterwards changed to a saw mll)-^ 
and iw that capacity did good work for many 
years. The foundation of the old mill still remains, 
and upon it stands another saw mill, now and for 
many }'ears operated by Asa IMatlack, grandson of 
Reuben. The present mill was erected in 1 8 14, and 
may itself be regarded as a venerable institution. 
Antedating it and the other early saw mills were 
the saw pits in which man-power took the place of 
water power, and two men, by the aid of a two- 
handled saw, worked up the logs into such lumber 
as they could, 

Moorestown v/ent early into the fruit-raising and 
gardening business, and the farmers here and in 
the immediate vicinity for years furnished peaches 
to the New York market. The peaches were 
carted from here to New Brunswick or Amboy, 
and taken thence by boat to New York. That was 
a state of affairs that could not be permitted to last. 
The farmers nearer to Nev/ '^''ork did not relish 
standing by and seeing the dollars roll past them 
towards this distant point. There were nurseries- 
} here as well as orchards, and the Monmouth county 
farmers supplied themselves with Moorestown peach 
trees. About 1830 they began to furnish the Jer- 



24 I.IOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

scy peaches required by the New York market, 
and that branch of the business here was killed. 
It was only a branch, however, and the fruit-raising 
and nursery business is still extensively carried 
on here. 

The settlers, obliged at first to depend on distant 
sources of supply for bread-stuffs, took as early an 
opportunity as might be for obviating that incon- 
venience by erecting grist mills nearer home. 
There would seem to have been no grist mills 
erected in early times in the immediate neighbor- 
borhood of Moorestown, but quite a number were 
established within reach. Walton's, Haines' and 
Warrington's mills were all established at a com- 
paratively early date. They were located in what 
is now Delran township, and all stood on a small 
stream known as Wright's Mill stream. Ideas as 
to " immediate neighborhood" differ, and the people 
of those days no doubt felt' that their base of sup- 
plies was very conveniently near with the grist 
mills no farther away ; and they would have shut 
up, as a dangerous lunatic, any one who had fore- 
told a steam grist mill in the middle of the town, 
with wagons to convey the grain products to the 
doors of the purchasers. Such a vision of mad 
luxury would have been too much for them. 

It is to be observed in passing that liquid 
comfort was looked after as well as solid nourish- 
ment ; for Wri""ht's Mill Stream, besides doino- 



AFTER THE START. 



2S 



-service for the grist mills, had on its banks Hollins- 
head's distillery and Garwood's combination enter- 
prise of saw mill and distillery. And there were 
•other distilleries hereabouts, in different directions 
and at various distances. Local option was the 
unwritten law of those days. But the option of 
most localities was in favor of having whiskey and 
kindred fluids within comfortable reach. 

In those old times, as in the still older times, 
■^' Adam delved and Eve span." Homespun was 
ihe principal wear, and " store 'clothes," except for 
" quality folks," were rarely seen. The men raised 
the flax and sheared the sheep ; the women spun 
.the fibre and wove the cloth ; and after the cloth 
was woven they cut it up and sewed it into garments. 
There was a trade in flourishing existence then, 
the artisans in which would starve to death now. 
Men went about from house to house combing 
■Avool and hetchelling flax, making them ready for 
rthe women to spin. Another queer custom that is 
now obsolete gave an added interest to life then. 
The families received professional visits from the 
■shoemaker, just as some families now receive pro- 
fessional visits from the dressmaker. The Crispin- 
lite came witli his full equipment of tools and 
materials anil staid until he had cut out and made 
.up such shoes as the family needed, or could afford. 
At some houses lie came once a year and made two 
pairs of shoes foi- every member of the fmilly — on:: 



26 J).IOORt:.-5iO\VN, OLD AND I\ i-:v.'. 

pair for "common" and one pair for " best." We 
may be sure that neitrher pair was of the tooth-pick 
or the hig-h-buttonecl type; but such as they were 
they had to do the owner until the time came 
round for the next annual manufacture. It is to be 
hoped that the shoe-maker was always of a genial 
and sociable disposition, for his visits were depend- 
ed, upon more than almost anything else to drop 
the ripple-making stone ot gossip into the quiet 
stream of rather isolated home-life. 

They were a robust, hardy, enterprising people, 
those early settlers here. They battled agamst 
obstacles right sturdily, and encountered hardsltips 
with a cheerful spirit. Indeed they seem not to 
have known that there were hardships, and regard- 
ed their Jersey home as a kind of earthly paradise,, 
where life was easier and more bountiful than else- 
where. Some of their business enterprises v<'ere on 
a large scale ; and the manner in which they were 
carried forward to success would be creditable with 
the facili'ties of to-day at command; with the dififi- 
culties and restrictions then to be encountered^ it i.s. 
astonish I iKr. 




Chapter IV. 
" TJicre Lived a Man!' 

^N one occasion I spent a few linnrs in a 
new railroad town West of the Rocky 
1^ Mountains. On leavin^^ the train. I saw 
a citizen standin^^ in h'ont of one of the 
board and canvas buildings on tflie prin- 
cipal street. He seemed to be the only man in the 
place who was standing- still, so I approached him 
and made some inquiries concerning the young 
metropolis. He listened with good-natured cour- 
tesy and regretfully replied: "I'm sorry, stranger, 
but Fin a stranger here and can't tell ye much about 
it. But" — and here his face brightened benevo- 
lently, and his' voice took a hopeful tone — * 'here 
comes a man 't can tell ye all you want to know, 
fur he's one o' the first settlers in the place. He's 
been here a week." 

The m:ui was not joking. That town was just 
seven days old. It had a population of about 4,000 
souls; long streets of shanties and tents stretched 
in all directions, and the business of the pk'.cc, 
although not always of a type to be commended, 
was booming with a prosperous rush that was. 
;^hilerating. 

To find out all that was to be found out con- 
c.-rning such a place as that Vv^ould not be a iiard. 
1^7) 



28 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

matter, provided the investigator was prepared to 
accept the accompanying risks. 

But it is difficult to trace the steps of a commu- 
iiity that has traveled over a couple of centuries of 
history. The dust of the past has drifted deep and 
has packed down hard along the road, and in some 
places no efforts at excavation will avail. Under 
these circumstances there is comfort in the old say- 
ing that it is a happy people that has no annals. 
'Eliere is comfort, also, in the recollection that only 
fossils leave their exact imprint in the hardened 
mud of the past ; and our old town is proving most 
conclusively that it is not a fossil. Still it could 
be wished that the record of old times was a little 
more complete. 

In a certain way, and to a limited extent, Moores- 
town professes to be the monument of Thomas 
Moore ; but the monument bears only his name. 
The epitaph has been almost wholly obliterated. 
Moore left his name to the town of his adoption, 
but with that gift his bequests ended; and even 
the name would probably have been forgotten had 
it not been transferred from the individual to the 
town. Many other names that have come down to 
us from times still c.::irlier than the time of Thomas 
Moore have brought w^ith them a strong flavor of 
personality; but there is only the faintest sugges- 
tion o( such a flavor about the name of Moore, 
or some who helped in laying the f )undations of 



liilLKt, HVEU A -MAM. 29 

r.Ioorcstowii we know all the leading facts of their 
fives ; the man who was important enough to give 
his name to the place is but little more than a 
myth. We know not whence he came, how long 
he staid or whither he went. Other men of the 
olden times have left descendants who still bear 
the histor-ic name among us ; we do not even know 
whether any child ever blessed the home of Thomas 
Moore. The original homesteads of some of the 
old settlei's ai^ still known and occupied ; we da 
not know, with any dQg:ree of accuracy, whereabouts 
Thomas IMoore livod ; and his root-tree, wherever 
it was, has long since disappeared. 

What manner of man was he ? Was he big or 
little? fair or dark? jolly or morose? It would 
be interesting to know, but there is nothing to tell 
us even whether he was good or bad. It is not 
known where he came from ; whether he came 
here as a young man, to grow up with the country ; 
whether he remained until his death, or where and 
when he we^it if he moved awa}'. 

Thomas Moore appears to have settled here in 
1722. In 1732 he bought thirty-three acres of land 
on the north side of the King's Highway. This pur- 
chase would indicate that he had a good head for 
business, for this was an exceedingly well selected 
tract. It extended from, the west side of the Friend's 
grave yard on the East, to Locust street on the 
West; and from the north side of Main street on 



20 LIOORKSTOWX, OLD AND NEW. 

the South to the middle of Second street on the 
North. Somewhere in the western portion of this 
tract — ^just where is not known — ?,Ioore set up a 
hotel. What name the hotel had is a matter of 
•ignorance ; but whether it bore a taking title or 
■not it seems, according to tradition, to have been a 
quite popular place of resort ; perhaps because the 
tipple supplied there was good, perhaps because 
the landlord wa^ a genial fellow with a taking way. 
At all events the place seems to have been one of 
importance, as importance v/as reckoned in those 
days. 

Thomas Moore himself appears to have become 
•recognized as an important parsonage in the com- 
munity. He was apparently a keen and enter- 
prising business mm, and the records show that he 
did a great deal in the way of buying and selling 
town lots. He must have been a man of some 
■strong traits, or he would not have been able to 
"io^Dress his individuality upon his neighbors so 
deeply that they chose his name as the one to be 
given to their village. He had a wife, and her 
name was Elizabeth, but even that much would 
not be known were it not that her name appears 
with his in the conveyances of some of his real 
estate. Beyond that one fact nothing seems to be 
known of the private and personal lite of Thomas 
Moore. His biography might almost be summed 
up in the one line : " There lived a man." 



Chapter V. 

Rjz 'j'.utionary Days. 

?fHEN the Revolutionary war hcc^in, the 
dove of Peace was sore disma)-^ J U) find 
^S^-^^ how many young eagles she had nur- 
-^^^■^ tured in her Quaker nest. Young blood 
IS hot, and in war times it is apt to tingle as sharply 
under a drab coat as under a knight's armor; the 
restraining inHuonccs of faith and discipline are not 
always strong enough to hold in check its wayward 
impulses, and sometimes the man of peace becomes 
the man of war. Therefore it is that the Meetings 
liad a good deal to do in those stormy days, calling 
to account those members who were guilty of 
bearing military arms in a military manner, and 
dealing with those who refused to return to the 
ways of peace. 

It is to be supposed that Chester Meeting had its 
sh.'.re of trouble with recalcitrant members in and 
about Moorestown ; for unquestionably Moores- 
town had her spoon in the hot dish that was cooking 
by the heat of battle flames. The tradition is that 
the town furnished its quota of minute men under 
the act of August 15. 1775, and that they duly 
furnished themselves " with a good musket or fire- 



32 



MOORESTOWN, OLD AND KEv:. 



lock, and bayonet, sword or tomahawk ; a stcet 
ramrod, worm, priming wire, and brush fitted 
thereto; a cartouclie box to conuii;! thirty-two 
rounds of cartridge:-; ; twelve flints and a knapsack." 
At that time, although Moorcstown remained, as it 
still remains, v^ery largely a community of Friends, 
other elements had mingled in its population; and 
from these elements the minute men and the re- 
cruits to the Continental Army Vv-ere principally 
drawn. Still the Society of Friends had among its 
members some who felt that, in such a time the 
ways of war were the ways of peace, and whose 
convictions drew them to handle the sword and 
shoulder the musket. No state gave a warmer or 
more cheerful support to the cause of the struggling 
Union than New Jersey ; and ]\Ioorcstown and the 
country around it was no with behind the jest of the 
State in the encouragement — peaceful or warlike — 
that it gave. 

The terrors as well as the fervor of war were 
experienced here to the full. The I'litish soldiery 
Avere here more than once or twice, and each visit 
added to the apprehensive terrors of the next. For 
a time the enemy had complete possession of New 
Jersey and during that time scouting parties and 
bodies of stragglers went to a good many places 
where they were not wanted, Moorestown among 
the rest. So, also, when Gen. Howe held Phila- 
delphia, New Jersey was invaded by parties oi" 



REVOLUTIONARY DAYS. 

raiders and all this section of the State was kept in 
a perpetual condition of worry and apprehension. 
The coming of the British was the haunting night- 
mare of the people here and hereabouts ; and so 
extreme did this panicky condition become, not 
only here but throughout the State, that we are 
told "in 1/79 there was a total cessation of public 
worship in the province." 

The state of affairs which prevailed had its draw- 
backs, most certainly, but monotony and dulness 
were not among them. Ex^erybody was on the 
alert, and the wits of the community became keen 
and sharp-set. It was known, h-om both direct and 
circumstantial evidence, that when King George's 
troopers were about, the best place for cattle and 
silver was a hiding place. An aftiiuty existed: 
between the soldiers and other people's propirtv,, 
and it was detrimental to the property. There wa.^ 
no use in attempting to break the bond of connec- 
tion when it had once been formed ; the only thing 
to do was to keep it from forming. To effect this 
it was necessary to know when the British \\erc 
coming, and to get everything they would most 
desire out of reach before-hand. To accomplish 
these purposes kept people exceedingly wide-awake 
and active. Danger signals were established ; v/arn- 
ings were quickly given and promptly heeaed when 
cause for alarm appeared. Sometimes the hiding 
was accomplished unnecessarily ; sometimes, alas I 



34 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

it ^vas not accomplished soon enough, and the 
consequences were disastrous. 

On the farm of Mr. Ilooten, on the Marlton 
road is an old bell which is said to be a relic of 
those stormy times. During the Revolution it was 
mounted on one of the farm buildings, and dici 
service as an alarm signal, being rung for the 
"warning of the neighbors and the calling of the 
■men from their distant occupations when there 
were signs of British approach. At the sound of 
its note cattle and horses w^ere hurriedly driven to 
safe places of retreat, and household and personal 
valuables were put out of reach as effectively as 
possible. In these days of humdrum peacefulness 
the bell has a more prosaic mission — that of 
■calling the farm hands to dinner. Other signals 
Vv'cre established elsewhere; and between here and 
t1ie Pen'sauken self-appointed pickets did duty in 
times of special apprehension. At the w^arning 
thcv gave all the live stock was quickly driven off 
into the Deer Park Swamp. The times would 
seem to have been full of interest for the cattle as 
well as for their owners. 

An instance is related which well illustrates the 
'Cxcitcd state of mind in which people lived at that 
time. It was a very successful scare, wrought 
■up — most probably with malicious intent — by an 
eccentric and rather cranky indi\M"dual w^ho lived ir 
TJuOrc5tov.n then. The incident occurred on i 



■REVOLUTION AKV DAYS. 



35 



Thursday morning, when the Friends were assem- 
l)led in their meeting house for Fifth-day meeting. 
Suddenly the mischievous fellow rushed into the 
building and disturbed the solemn quiet of the 
assembly by shouting : " Here you are, all sitting 
with your hats on and the British just down by 
Neddy French's !" The British were not down by 
ISfeddy French's, but the announcement broke up 
the meeting all the same, and the result of the 
prank was everything that the pestilent fellow could 
have desired. The horses of the worshippers were 
driven out of the meeting house yard at a pace 
that astonished them and startled the neighbors ; 
and it is safe to assume that after it was all over, 
some of those Friends inwardly wished that the 
discipline of their body had been a little less rigid 
■concerning personal violence. 

Not all the inhabitants were so grieviously dis- 
turbed at the imminence of a British visitation. 
There were some tories among the residents here 
as well as elsev/here throughout the country, and 
to them the prospective or actual presence of their 
red-coated friends, was not a cause for lamentations, 
but for rejoicing, rather. They made the soldiers 
welcome, and in return for this sympathy enjoyed 
freedom from the harassments and annoyances of 
their " rebellious" neighbors. They sold what they 
liad to part with and received in return therefor 
:good hard money of the realm, the virtue of loyalty 



36 • MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

not being, in those days, of the kind that is its own' 
reward. But there were not many of the tories 
here, the community being for the most part warmly 
patriotic ; and here as elsewhere the cause of inde- 
pendence had no more cordial supporters than the 
Friends, despite their deprecation of the appeal to 
arms. 

There was at least one man who did not live 
here, and had no possessions or business interests 
here, but who nevertheless had reason to wish most 
devoutly that the British soldiers had 'staid away 
from Moorestown, and minded their own business. 
Kendall Coles was an active and Avidely known 
patriot, living a short distance south of Moorestown, 
on the road to Haddonfield. His principles and 
prominence brouglit him and his family into ac- 
quaintance witli very many of the leaders of the 
Revolutionary cause, in the army and out of it, and 
among the rest with Lafayette. Lafayette had in 
in his train a number of gay young French officers, 
and Mr. Coles had in his household a number of 
voun^r and attractive dauc^hters. Now since the 
world began, properly constituted young men, 
whether French lieutenants or not, have sought 
the society of bright and winsome young women, 
and have overcome obstacles and braved dangers 
that they might enjoy the pleasures of such com- 
panionship. Therefore it is that on various occa- 
sions one and another of Lafayette's young friends 



REVOLUTIONARY DAYS. 3/ 

Avere guests at the Coles mansion. One day a 
young Frenchman was enjoying the hospitahty 
of the mansion when a scouting party of British 
soldiers rode up. There was consternation in the 
house, but quick wits were equal to the occasion. 
The imperilled guest was hustled into the cellar 
and effectually hidden, but in such close and 
straightened quarters as made him devoutly hope 
that the other fellows would not stay long. The 
British soldiers entered the door almost in time to 
■see the hurried exit of their predecessor, and were 
in no haste to resume their ride. They did go at 
last but not until after what the Frenchman con- 
sidered an extravagantly long stay; and the im- 
prisoned guest resumed his visit where it had been 
interrupted. 

The evacuation of Philadelphia by the British 
luider Gen. Clinton, and the retreat of the army 
:across New Jersey towards New York brought 
sore tribulations to the people here and hereabouts. 
The evacuation took place in the morning of June 
1 8, 1778, and the army crossed the Delaware into 
New Jersey. Three columns took up the march 
though the State by different roads, and one of the 
■columns took the road through Mcorestown. On 
the night of the i8th this body of troops encamped 
at Haddonfield, and on the morning of the 19th 
resumed th^- march in this direction. One of the 
dauo-htcrs of ^Ir. Coles, then a young girl and 



2 8 .\IOORESTOWx\, OLD AND NEW. 

afterwards the wife of Reuben Matlack, remembered 
vividly to the day of her death, the march of that 
June day, and in later years entertained her chil- 
dren and her grand-children with the recital of 
incidents that came under her obscr\'ation. Happy 
were those patriots alonix the line of march who> 
had received and heeded timely warning of what 
was coming ; who had hidden their valuables and 
driven away their live-stock, and who kept them- 
selves and their families in seclusion. And miser- 
ably unlucky were those Vv'hose action had been 
differently taken. 

Mrs. Matlack, like the other members of her 
father's family, had had abundant opportunities of 
forming acquaintanceship, either personally or by- 
description, with the prominent men of , both sides 
of the great contest, and her belief was that Gen. 
Howe was in command of the column of the 
retreating army that passed over this road. How- 
ever that may be, tradition has it that Gen. Howe 
was at one time personally in Moorestown and 
staid here over night. Whenever it vras, the Gen- 
eral seems to have had no scruple about giving 
trouble to his involuntary hostess on the occasion 
of his visit. The butter already on hand in the 
family spring house did not answer his purpose^ 
and a special batch of " gilt-edged" was prepared. 
In a family now living in Marlton there is said to 
be still kept as an heir-loom, the churn in whiclx 



REVOLL'TIONARY DAY.3. 39 • 

the butter was made for Gen. Hov/e on the occasion 
of his visit to Moorestown. 

The army reached Moorestown on the afternoon - 
of the 19th, and encamped on ground not far from 
the Friends' meeting houses. Probably a more' 
unv/elcome body of men never made themseh'cs at 
home where they were not wanted. Their popu- 
larity had not been great along the road ; and^hey 
made life a burden to the peaceful folk here, i hey 
pillaged right and left, wantonly destroyed property 
they had no desire to possess, " confiscated" all the 
livestock they could lay hands on, and in various 
ways made themselves a grand nuisance. 

Here as elsewhere the citizens who had timely 
tidings of the coming irruption made such pro- 
visions as they could in the way of getting their 
livestock out of reach and hiding their portable 
property. But there was no telegraph then to give 
news of the event before it had fairly happened ; 
only mounted couriers could be depend :d upon to 
give the needed warning, and the men between 
here and Camden were too much occupied in 
looking after their own interests and those oi their 
immediate neighbors to admit of a very early 
warning to their Moorestown friends. However, 
the warning came here in advance of the British, 
. although not so far in advance that much margin 
oftime'^w^as allowed for precautionary measures. 
Some of the people here had wonderfully narrow 



40 



I.IOORESTOV/N. OLD AND NEV, 



escapes from failure in their efforts to hide valua- 
bles. One of these was a farmer named Middleton 
who lived on v/hat was niore recently known as the 
Stiles Farm, on what is now Central avenue, 
north of the railroad and west of Chester avenue. 
When he heard of the approaching visitation he 
dug a hole in the ground near his house, and hur- 
riedly deposited therein his silver and such other 
belongings as he wished particularly to save. He 
had just finished iilling up the hole when the red 
coats appeared in sight down the road. Fearing 
that the fresh appearance of the earth would arouse 
suspicion he, with with a quick command of re- 
sources born of the time, scattered some shelled 
corn over his buried treasure and called the pigs 
and chickens to the spot. They soon obliterated 
the traces of the spade and his property was saved. 
At that time one of the most prominent families 
here was that of Richard Smith ; and his mansion, 
on the King's Highway was perhaps the largest and 
most pretentious in the place. At this house dis- 
tinguished visitors to the town were received and 
entertained as guests; and on the 19th of June, 
1778, distinguished visitors who were disposed to 
entertain themselves were received, under the pres- 
sure of circumstances over which the Smith family 
had no control. Their visit was of a distinctly 
different character to that of the visits the family 
liad been accustomed to receive, and seems to have 



REVOLUTIONARY DAYS. /^l 

been an absolute reigii of terror. The household 
at the time included a number of' ladies, but there 
would seem to have been no m :n about the house 
except the servants. The chief of these men- 
iservants q-ot notice in advance of the cominc^ of the 
British, and he was prompt in running off all the 
horses belonging to the place, and shrewd in hiding 
them before the arrival of the unwelcome visitors. 
He took them through the woods at the back of the 
house into a swamp some distance away to the 
south, and secreted them there so successfully that 
none Avere captured ; but they were the only live- 
-stock on the place that escaped the clutches of the 
soldiers. 

It would have been well if the faithful servant 
had foreseen what was to take place, and had 
driven every other living thing on the estate into 
the same swamp; for the commanding officer of 
the British made the Smith mansion his head- 
quarters, and that meant a great deal in the way of 
■uncomforiable experience to the members of the 
household. I le was accompanied by the members 
of his staff, as well as by a number of common 
soldiers detailed for headquarters duty, and his 
military family comprised a number of Hessians. 
The policy adopted of " living off the country" was 
freely carried out in this instance, and such re- 
sources as the house and farm afforded were taken 
.advaiilap-e q[ to the utmost. Tlicv were bountiful 



43 



JIOORESTOWN, OLD AND XEV/. 



and the resulting" feast was in. the nature of a. 
carousal. Every fowl on the place was sacrificed, 
and to make the banquet complete a calf was killed, 
dressed and cooked. The roystering was loud and 
long continued, and the ladies of the house wished 
many a time before morning that either they or 
their guests were somewhere else. 

On arriving, the commanding officer informed 
Mrs. Smith that she and the members of her family 
must remain secluded in their rooms, as otherwise 
he could not undertake to protect them from insult 
at the hands of his officers and men, particularly 
the Hessians. The ladies accordingly went into 
close retirement ; but they did not all stay there,, 
and a commotion was the result. 

Visiting at the house was Miss Elizabeth Murrell, 
a niece of Mr. Smith. She was a bright and lively 
young girl of about fourteen years, whose home 
was in Burlington. Years afterwards she became 
the wife of Reuben Stiles ; and when she was an 
elderly woman Reuben Stiles the younger — at the 
time of his recent death one of the best known 
and most respected citizens of Moorestown — was 
born to them, the youngest of their family of ten 
children. Mrs. Stiles retained to the time of her 
death a vivid recollection of the visit of the British 
at her uncle's house, as well as other memorable- 
events uf iho ,j ti'O'-ibled times, and frequent!}' re- 



REVOT-UTIOXARY DAYS. 



43 



,1^ u 

her family. 

Elizabeth Murrell it was who went out of her 
room contrary to orders. During the evening she 
wished to go from one apartment to another — it is 
hard for young people to stay shut up on compul- 
sion — so she peeped out of her door and thought the 
coast sufficiently clear to warrant the risk. She ven- 
tured out and very sliortly was convinced that she 
had made a mistake. She had hardly got jairly 
into the hall before a Hessian caught her and tried 
to kiss her. She struggled and screamed, and her 
screams brought the commanding officer to the 
spot. At sight of him the Hessian released his 
indignant captive, giving her an impatient push and 
exclaiming, with a contemptuous wave of the hand : 
*' Footy, footy, footy!" After this adventure the 
ladies remained closely shut up in one room with 
the door locked until their too demonstrative guests 
had taken their departure. The British command- 
er placed a guard at their door, and they were 
secure from further molestation ; but we can well 
fancy that they passed the night in a more or less 
hysterical condition. 

In the morning the soldiers marched away ; but 
not alone, for they drove off all the cattle on the 
place. However, the imprisoned ladies were once 
more at liberty ; and that v.3> a joyful fact until 



2).4 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND KEW. 

they had seen t1ie condition of the house and prem- 
ises, and then all joy was killed for the day. Such 
a condition of tilings as confronted Ihcm cannot be 
described. The chickens for the banquet had been 
killed, plucked and cleaned in the parlor ; and blood, 
feathers and filth were on the carpet, the walls and 
every article of furniture. The other rooms of the 
liouse were in keeping with this ; and a scene of 
ravage and desolation presented itself everywhere. 

The horses were brought back from the swamp; 
and later in the day a vocil^erous cow ran bawling 
into the yard. She was the mother of the calf that 
had been slain to make the soldiers' feast, and she 
had been driven off with the rest of the stock in the 
morning ; but her anxiety to get back to where she 
had last seen her offspring was more than a match 
for the vigilance of her captors. She made her 
escape in some way from the drove :;nd ran noisily 
all the way home. She v/as the only member of 
the herd the family ever saw again. 

Another old house in Moorestown a.'-sociated in 
tradition with British visitations here is that belong;- 
ing to the estate of the late Asa Schooley, at the 
•corner of Main and Schooley streets. It seems 
tolerably certain that the British had possession of 
the building at one time, but tradition cri'ows vap-ue 
and weak Avhen it comes to telling when, for how 
long, in what force or under what circumstances. 
It seems most probable that the occupation of 



REVOLUri»NARY DAYS. 



45 



the premises was, like the other occupation just 
described, on the 19th of June, 1778, and that the 
house was used as headquarters by some of the 
lower officers of the command. There is no cer- 
tainty, however, in the minds of any regarding the 
facts. 

The mansion of Richard Smith was the scene of 
another reception, very different in character to 
that of the men who killed the chickens and drove 
OiT the cattle. Lafayette was the visitor, and his 
visit preceded that of the British. Elizabeth Mur- 
rell was a guest at her uncle's house on this occa- 
sion also, and she is the authority for such details 
of the visit as are novv^ known. This was an hon- 
ored guest who came with a gallant party of 
young aids to the hospitable mansion, and he was 
made welcome with all the stately and elaborate 
courtesy of the time. He was on his way through 
New Jersey to join Washington, and spent a night 
at the house of his entertainer. It is related that 
he had been ill for some time, and still showed the 
effects of his sickness. Mrs. Stiles' memory was 
strongly impressed by the pale face and delicate, 
refined appearance ot Lafayette. Another of her 
abiding recollections was of tlie remarkably fine 
horse he rode. It was a sorrel, and was extraor- 
dinarily handsome. The animal had hurt its foot 
in some manner, and one of the Gsneral's aids, with 
a servant to hold the torch, went out in the evening 



,jj.5 LI09REST0WN, OLD AND NEW. 

to examine the injury. Elizabeth Murrell watched 
the investigation from the porch, and admired the 
]iorse at her leisure. 

The tradition is general and persistent that 
Washington not only passed through Moorestown, 
but that he passed a night here. No well regulated 
old place considers itself quite happy without the 
existence of some such link connecting it with 
Washincfton, and that hero-statesman would have 
needed a longer and more slumberous life than the 
one he lived to have slept under all the roofs 
assigned to him throughout the country. He was 
pretty enterprising, and a good deal of a traveller, 
but even he was not equal to all the claims made 
upon him by tradition in behalf of sacredly historic 
feather-beds and guest-chambers. 

One of our local stories is that he passed a night 
^t the old Smith mansion previously referred to. 
This, however, is contradicted by those most likely 
to know, and the explanation is given that the tra- 
dition arose from the visit of Lafayette to the house 
in question. Another and more positive statement 
is to the effect that Washington made his halt for 
the night at an old house on Main street below 
Church Road, which was torn down only a few 
years ago. One or two other old houses are men- 
tioned as having had the honor of sheltering the 
Father of his country on the vague night in ques- 
-tion ; among them being the ancient building r.t 



REVOLUTIONARY DAYS. 47 

\\'hat is now known as Fair Ground avenue, in 
which Mrs. Mary Lippincott's boarding .^^cbiOol was 
icept. The claim in all these cases is prefaced by 
"they say," and is unsupported by anything- like 
incident or definite statement of any kind. 

A very positive statement has been made that 
Washington did pass the night on one occasion at 
the old Matlack homestead, between the Haddon- 
field and Camden roads, a couple of miles below 
Moorestown. This visit was said to have been a 
matter of history supported by positive evidence, 
and not dependent upon tradition at all. Trees 
were said to be still standing on the place which 
were marked in a peculiar manner on the memora- 
ble occasion — whether by the historic hatchet of 
immortal visitor was not stated. Inquiry of Mr. 
Morc^ccai Matlack elicited the information that if 
sucli a visit were ever made he never heard of it ; 
a statement rather discouraging to further investiga- 
tion in that direction. 

It is pretty certain that if Washington passed a 
night on the Llatlack farm, he did not pass a night 
in Moorestown — on that march at least. For the 
Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army was 
not travelling for pleasure ; and the distance from 
the Matlack homestead to Moorestown would not 
constitute a day's march, even in more leisureh- 
times than the Revolutionary period. Pleasant as 
Moorestown is and ahvays has been, he would 



48 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

hardly have tarried here for the mere sake of 
enjoying the beauties of the place. 

The discrepancy between the difrcrcnt traditions 
is reconciled in some minds by the supplementary 
theory that two visits were made. Indeed the 
tradition exists, independent of any effort to recon- 
cile conflicting statements, that Washington tra- 
versed the highway through Moorestown on tv/o 
different occasions — going from Philadelphia at 
one time, and again going towards that city. The 
confirmation of this belief would verify the claims 
of two of the houses that sheltered Washington 
over night ; but the others would still have to be 
content with the lesser glory of a possible daylight 
visit. 

It will be seen that the record of Washington's 
visits here would make a long and interesting 
chapter; but after all it would be in the nature of 
that famous chapter which was headed " The Snakes 
in Ireland," and which consisted of the one line, 
"There are no snakes in Ireland." We greatly 
fear the conviction must be accepted that the great 
Commander never was in Moorestown at all. 

But if Washinf^ton never saw Moorestown, at 
least one person intimately associated with Moores- 
town saw Washington. It was the same Elizabeth 
Murrell who had the memorable adventure w^ith 
the too gallant Hessian, and who seems to have 
had the luck of seeing notable people and witnessing 



U EVOLUTIONARY DAYS. 



49 



notable events. She had returned to her father's- 
house in Burhngton, and there, as the French say, 
"assisted" at a grand review of the army by the 
Commander-in-Chief. Mrs. Washington — or "Lady 
Washington" as she was then called — accompanied'- 
her husband; and the General's scrupulous and 
deferential attention to his wife struck this girlish) 
observer as something remarkable even for those 
ceremonious days. She used to relate that the 
General, in order that his wife might enjoy a better 
view of the proceedings, procured a thick and heavy 
book for her to stand upon. This he laid upon 
the ground as a pedestal upon which her feet were 
to rest; but before he permitted her to stand upon 
it he took out his handkerchief and carefully dusted 
^;_^'the cover of the book, in order that it might be 
clean enough to fittingly support the feet just lifted 
from the muddy earth. Truly either George was a 
model husband, or Martha Vv-ell knew the value of 
discipline! 

Tlie father of this same \'Oung military tcporter, 
and the grandfather of our townsman, P^euben 
Stiles, was an officer in the Continental army ; and 
his exceptionally intimate knowledge of the coun- 
try led to his being selected as a cavalry scout, his 
duty being to obtain and impart such information 
as was possible of the enemy's whereabouts, doings 
and purposes. When the British held Euilington 
Captain Murrcll m:idc fi-oqucnt night entries to the 



io 



MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 



own, in one disguise or another, and ir?s''i -^ visit- 
ing his family, managed to take away w'Xh liim con- 
siderable useful knowledge. 

On one of these occasions he learned that a coun- 
-cil of war was being held in a certain house, and 
mounting the steps of the building he preceded to 
investigate through the key-hole. There had been 
.Q. recent fall of sleet and the steps were slippery. 
-As a consequence the uninvited member of the 
'Council took a tumble off the steps to the pavement. 
The noise of his fall was heard within the house, 
:and the assembled offuers rushed to the door just 
■in time to see him ri se to his feet and make off In 
his haste the coat he wore as a disguise was disar- 
ranged, revealing his Continental uniform beneath. 
He was recognized and the British officers made 
straight for his house, supposing that he would go 
there for concealment. By the time they reached 
the house, however, Captain Murrel's fleet horse 
had borne him to a safe distance in another direc- 
tion, and as the officers afterward stated, they 
■*'.found t!ij nest, but the bird had flown." 



Chapter VI. 
Rapid Transit. 

T Is a very curious twist In human nature — the 
human nature of these days at least — that 
causes men to be always in a hurry when 
'^^ they go from one place to another. They 
may have an abundance of leisure and more time 
than they know what to do with ; but they don't like 
to spend any more of It than they are compelled 
to on the road. The highest priced horse is the 
one that can save a few seconds In taking to a given 
point a man v/ho has nothing whatever to do when 
he gets there, unless it be to turn around and come 
back at still greater speed, if possible. The train 
that lowers the schedule time between New York 
and Chicago is the train that commands the greatest 
patronage from the moneyed people of leisure. I 
have seen men elbow their way to the bow of a 
ferry-boat as it entered the slip, jump ashore before 
the boat was made fast, and then stand by idly, 
with their hands in their pockets and watch the last 
man and woman file off from the boat. And yet 
we talk of the luxury of leisure. 

This same luxury of leisure, looking at things 
.from our stand-point, was enjoyed to the full by 

(51) 



52 



?,I00RE3T0"'M, OLD AND NEV/. 



those who preceded us here. They did not fly at 
top speed from one place to another ; they did not 
tear about the country and about the Vv' orld, spending- 
the Fourth of July in Canada and Christmas in 
Florida; the month of March in Santa Barbara and 
the month of November in Rome. They had all 
the time there was and they used it in a very delib- 
erate fashion. Most of it they used in one place ;:. 
for when they got anywliere they were very apt to 
stay there, and to take the weather and the other 
conditions of life as they came along. It is a recent 
idea, this one of rushing away to a hot country in 
cold weatlicr, and to a cold country in hot v/eather. 
It has a good deal to recommend it, but it did not 
enter into the plans of the old-time folk. Indeed if 
they had tried to carry out such an idea the weath- 
er would have had plenty of time to change before 
they had got to the plage they set out to reach ; for 
v,'hen they did go from one point to another they 
took plenty of time for it. 

But it was only because they had to. They 
vvould have been just as migratory as the rest of us, 
and just as speedy in their migrations if they had 
known how. Their blood would have been fevered 
by the ferment of unrest to just the same extent 
that ours is ; and tlieir nerves v.'ould have been 
stretched and racked to the sp.rn. .is/groe as ours by 
the demon of hurry, if thet-e h:^ I ' en n. cl^ance for 
hurry to accomplish an^L.^m-. i.ideed I imaf^ine. 



RAPID TRANSIT. 53 • 

they did hurry as much as we do, only in slower 
fashion. They got over the ground as fast as they , 
could, and wished they could go faster; and that is j 
all we do. The difference is merely one of stan- 
dards. It is quite possible that bye and bye, when 
men go flying through the air in balloons sped by 
electricity, they will regard the crawling pace of our 
present railroad trains much as we regard the cum- 
brous wagon travel of the men who lived before us. 
There were all sorts of difficulties in the way of 
rapid transit for them ; but they accomplished it 
according to their ideas and opportunities, and 
were tolerably well pleased with the results— until 
they could see the v/ay to something better, and 
then they tried for that. The great drawback in the 
way of free and easy going about was the character 
and general condition of the thoroughfares that had 
to be traversed. We can form only the faintest and 
most incomplete idea of what the roads were then, 
or of what tribulations beset the tourist between 
here and Philadelphia. That bit of travel does not 
afford an experience of delight even now if it be 
undertaken in a springless wagon in an "open 
winter" or in the early spring ; but it is as the 
flight of the swallow compared with what it used to 
be. The experiences oi: long ago are probably be- 
ing repeated now, in modified form, in remote 
wooded regions that are newly settled ; but we can 
-form no conception of them, and therefore can have 



^4 LIQORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

no adequate sympathy with either our predecessors- 
or our contemporaries. 

The earliest roads were scarcely roads at all, 
although dignified by that name. They were little ■ 
more than bridle paths, and were not constructed 
with the view to accommodating vehicles. To be • 
sure there were not many vehicles to be accommo- 
dated ; but neither were there any modern appli- 
ances for the removal of stumps, and any wagon 
or cart which had attempted the passage of a public: 
road, even where it was broad enough, would have 
had a rough and stormy voyage and would most 
probably have been wrecked on some stumpy reef 
before the passage had been completed. Indeed 
many of the less impoitant of the old roads were 
only foot-paths. 

As time passed on there was improvement, of 
course; but even so late as 1716, in the rates, 
allowed by the assembly for the New Brunswick 
Ferry, provision was made only for " horse and 
man," and for the "single person," no account being 
taken of vehicles. So the improvement could not 
have been very rapid. If wheeled vehicles had' 
had been in use to any extent they would certainly 
have been considered and that they were not more 
generally in use argues a most undesirable condi- 
tion of even the most important public roads. 

Even such use as was made of wheeled convey- 
ances serves, rather than otherwise to eniDhasize- 



RAPID TRANSIT. 



5? 



the difficulties that beset the traveller. There was 
no public means of conveying passengers ; but pri- 
vate individuals had obtained privileges, amounting 
to monopoly, in the way of transporting persons 
and goods between New York and Phi'adelphia. 
A man named Belaman seem.s to have had things 
all his own way in this respect. He had in some- 
way attained spec'al privileges; and although he- 
had no set time or regular prices for his trips, he 
held his right against any proposed competition! 
until after Governor Hamilton's recall in 1710. 
Then his monopoly ceased and there was competi- 
tion. A new era of travel began, and ''stage - 
wagons" were run between the two great cities. 
We smile as we read the proviso that invariably 
accompanied their announcement : " Wind and 
weather permitting." The restriction must have been 
an elastic one, or travel must have been frequently 
interrupted ; for during a considerable portion of 
the year the weather in this section of the country 
is apt to be not of a permissive character. 

In 1750, such had been the progress of improve- 
ment, a line of transportation was established, the 
owner of which informed the public that a stage- 
boat would leave New York every Wednesday, for 
the Amboy Ferry on Thursday, where on Friday 
a stage-wagon would immediately convey the pat- 
rons to Bordentown ; whence another stage-boat 
would convey them to Philadelphia. In 1752 such. 



5 6 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

advancement was made that the stage-boat left New 
York twice a week instead of once; and the in- 
crease of speed had been so great that the trip to 
Philadelphia was sometimes accomplished in five 
days, although it more commonly occupied seven. 
Later still stage-wagons " with seats on springs" 
(mark the luxurious ease the travelling public in- 
indulged in) made the summer trip in tv/o days; 
the winter trip occupied a day more, but the spring 
seats still made glad the passenger. The wagons 
that achieved this phenomenal speed were justly 
called *' flying machines." 

That was all very well and compels the belief 
that very great improvement had been made ; but 
we are led with many misgivings, to inquire what 
must have been the unimproved condition of affairs, 
when we read what Governor Franklin said so late 
as 1768. In a speech delivered in that year, urging 
v.pon the assembly the necessity for an improve- 
r.ient of the roads in the province, the Governor 
stated that "even those roads which lie between 
the two principal trading cities of North America 
are seldom passable without danger or difficulty." 
The Governor may not have been so good an 
authority as his father on many subjects, but when 
it came to the condition of the roads he undoubt- 
edly knew what he was talking about. 

With such a rate of progress as we have described, 
and with such a condition ^i roads as Governor 



RAPID tra::.^]' 



57 



Tranklin described, between the great centres cS 
population, it may readily be imagined what kin ! 
of travellincr facilities existed between Moorestown 
and the outside world. The trip to Philadelphia 
was a more or less adventurous journey, by forest 
path and winding stream ; and it was not always 
free from the added excitement of Indian dangers 
and annoyances. True tlie aborigines here were 
for the most part friendly, ;ind did not go regularh' 
upon the war-path, but still they sometimes caused 
the settlers' souls to be more or less tumbled up 
and down within them. 

But with or without aboriginal accessories the 
journey was a rather momentous one. And it was 
a journey that had to be undertaken from time to 
time. The commerce of the place v/as not large, 
and the demands of the Philadelphia markets were 
not excessive in the early times. Still there were 
things to be sold, and things to be bought ; and 
there were no ''drummers" then to come out from the 
city, show samples, take orders and send the goods 
delivered by express or mail ; and there were no 
dealers or dealers' agents to go through the countr\- 
districts, gather up the spare produce and pay the 
market price for it. Those things had to be at- 
tended to by the parties interested ; and therefore 
Moorestown had to go to Philadelphia sometimes. 

The first part of the journey wa> made on horse- 
back ; and if the female members of the family 



^3 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

wanted to do any shopping — and what female 
member of any family does not want to do shoppings 
sometimes ? — they went along, also on horseback,, 
but not always on separate horses. More fre- 
quently the lady rider sat on a pillion behind her 
male escort, and secured herself in her seat by 
clasping him around the waist. To make things 
even, the front end of the conveyance was balanced 
by a bag of grain laid across its shoulders, a quantity 
of fresh meat sewed up in a cloth, a basket of eggs, 
or a basket of garden produce — for the " truck 
business" was very early entered into hereabouts. 
Considering what can be achieved even now in the 
way of mud, it is natural to suppose that in those 
days horse and man and woman would sometimes, 
conclude by the time they ,got back home, that 
living in the country had its disadvantages as well 
as its pleasures. 

But a change of conveyance was necessary before 
the journey was completed. There were streams 
in the way that had not been bridged and were in- 
convenient to ford. And in any case the trip by 
boat was easier and more expeditious than by 
horse. So when Penisauken was reached the horse- 
was unloaded, and the passengers and merchandise 
stowed into a skiff or flat-boat, and the remaining 
distance was accomplished by water. The water 
highway to Philadelphia was not a very formidable 
or tutbulent one, but it involved its share of adven- 



RAPID TRANSIT. 



59. 



ture, difficulty and discomfort, especially when; 
"wind and weather" were not of the favorinsf sort. 
The boating part of the expedition had one thing to 
recommend it. Penisauken was the port for the 
farmers in all parts of the section ; so the Moores- 
town travellers had for fellow passengers in the 
boat men and women from other neighborhoods, 
and thus contact with the outside world was estab- 
lished to some extent, and the marketing party 
came home richer in social experience as well as in 
more material ways. 

If the thoroughfare between here and Philadel- 
phia were of a character to impose such difficulties, 
what must the roads connecting Moorestown with: 
the other out-lying places have been like ? We read 
that roads were open in this direction and in that, 
and that the region all about gradually filled up 
with settlers. They must have been a self-reliant 
and self-contained sort of people, inured to soli^ 
tude, and content to invite their own souls; for it 
would have been difficult for an}^ other souls to 
respond to an invitation given. Family life ought 
to have been very sweet and satisfying in those 
days, for it had to suffice in very great measure for 
the needs of every member of the family. 

The social instinct must have been subjected to 
a severe strain, and the visiting between distant 
friends was, we can readily believe, something like 
the proverbial visitations of angels, as to frequency 



v5o MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

of occurrence and shortness of Intervals between 
them. Still visitations did occur from time to time. 
Solitary Imprisonment Is a thincjnot to be endured, 
either In the wilderness or the penitentiary, If there 
is any way of avoiding it ; and in the wilderness 
even greater obstacles than the old roads offered 
would not have sufficed to keep people wholly 
apart. So neighbors did visit from time to time. 
And I doubt If any people ever did succeed yet In 
constructing a road bad enough to keep the young 
men wholly apart from the young maidens that 
attracted them, no matter how great the distance 
between them. Happily the roads here v/ere not 
bad enough to accomplish such a result, and court- 
ship and marriage went on almost as if the roads 
had been good. 

The obstacles in the way of intercourse grew less 
with time, and in the progress of events wheeled 
vehicles could be used with more or less difficulty. 
But not yet had the time of the gently swinging- 
phaeton and the luxurious family carriage arrived. 
PIcavy wagons, frequently of the Cones toga p?c':tern, 
were the village carts of the olden time here. Such 
as they were, however, they made sociability more 
attainable, as well as the transportation of market 
commodities more easy. There yet linger tradi- 
tions of wagon journeys to and fro "for fun" which 
bore soaiething of the character of the "strav/ 
rides" of to-day. 



RAriD TRANSIT. , , 6p 

From the first the difficulties in the way of 
going about were not sufficient to keep the sturdy 
worshippers of old from gathering themselves to- 
gether in the places appointed for the religious 
services they loved. The first settlers here were of 
the sort that gave first care and thought to the 
matter of regular and authorized worship. They 
believed most heartily in going to church or meet- 
ing ; and they went, be the weather what it would 
or the condition of the roads bad as it might be. 
As the obstacles grew less, the lessening made the 
attend.inco at worship easier, but it may be doubted 
if it mid J it more gcn:ral. 

At first thought v/e would suppose that the 
postal service would have illustrated the high water 
mark of rapid transit, in the old times as in the new ; 
but in its beginning it did not; people were riot 
yet accustomed to having the news sent to them, 
and had not acquired the habit of being in a hurry 
for it. The element of speed seems not to have 
been considered in the inception of the enterprise. 
The scheme which finally resulted in the establish- 
ment of the post office was devised and patented 
about 1694 by Col. John Hamilton, son of Gov- 
ernor Andrew Hamilton. The patentee sold his 
right to the crown, but the enterprise does not seem 
to have been pushed forward very rapidly in the 
line of improvement. Soma attempt was made at 
regularity, but the main idea was that the mail 



.J(j2 I.IOJRESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

should go through sometime ; how long it took was 
a minor consideration. But after a time .speed 
'Came to be thought of, and In the course of events 
.the boast was made that the mail achieved even 
^better time than the flying machines ; which is 
accounted for by tlic fact that it was carried on horse- 
back. It was subject to the weather, however, then 
as now ; and in May 1704 a New York paper com- 
iplained that " the last storm has put our Penn- 
sylvania post a week behind, and it has not yet 
Gom'd in." In 1754 under the superintendency of 
Benjamin Franklin, the service was so far improved 
•that the mails left Philadelphia and New York three 
times a week. But notice was given that after 
Christmas they would leave only twice a week, 
^' being frequently delayed In crossing New York 
Bay." 

All this notable Improvement was of value to 
the dwellers here, although only indirectly. No 
mail came here. Indeed In 1791 there were only 
six post-offices in New Jersey, and none of the 
six was in Burlington county. Moorestown had 
to wait until after the Nineteenth Century had 
begun for Its postoffice. But as has been said it 
derived indirect benefit from the general progress 
that had been made. Philadelphia had postal com- 
munication with the world at large, and Moores- 
town had communication, more or less interrupted, 
with Philadelphia. The man who rode to market 



RAPID TRANSIT. Oj 

in Philadelphia came back home with a morsel of 
outside news to impart to his neighbors ; and so 
the community came to feel on more intimate terms 
with the world. It seems a curious state o( affairs 
to us who are taken aback if telegraphic communica- 
tion is interrupted for even a day, and who would 
feel a sense of personal loss if anything were to 
happen to the Atlantic cable ; but they were as 
happy under their conditions as we are under ours. 
One of the results of the difficult communication 
was that doctors and patients saw far less of each 
other in the old times than now. A call for the 
doctor and the doctor's response to the call consti- 
tuted an enterprise having time and difficulty for 
its chief elements ; and only a case of exceptional 
importance was held to justify it. When the regu- 
lar physician adjusted his saddle-bags and rode off 
through the woods it betokened something more 
serious on the part of the patient than an " attack 
of malaria," or "ah inactive liver," or "a functional 
derangement of the diaphragm," or " a run-down 
condition of the general system." Every family 
had within itself sufficient medical knowledge and 
skill to cope with any of the every-day ailments 
that afflict humanity ; and the neighborhood held 
more than one kindly old woman whose special 
knowledge of the healing virtues of ''roots and 'arbs" 
constituted her a practicing physician in the homes 
of her neighbors. The medical profession had its 



6 , MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

firm footing, however, and the physician, in those- 
days, as in these, was the friend as we, as the 
protector of those among whom h: hved More 
than one honored name has its place in the early- 
medical records of Moorestovvn and vicm.ty ; and 
more than one of these names illustrates anew to- 
day the honor that its early possessor bestowed 

"Tf course we loo'< back with a sigh of wondering 
sympathy to the cariy experience of our ancestors. 
That is the proper thing to do ; and not one of us 
would change places and times with them. But 
after all they may have got a kind of enjoyment 
out of life that we can know nothing of. It may not 
have been a better kind of enjoyment-it certamly 
was not-but it was a different kind. There was a 
bloom on the peach for them, as they rode then- 
horses through the woodland paths, that the swift 
rush of life has brushed off for us. 



Chapter VII".. 
Coaching Times. 

g|r'P^ND now, Sammy," said the elder Mr. 

^^jj^, Weller, "it's time I was up at the office 
to get my way bill and see the coach 
loaded; for coaches, Sammy, is like 
guns — they requires to be loaded with very great. 
care, afore they goes off." 

Mr. Weller liked his little Joke on occasion, but 
even his jokes had the core of a serious philosophy 
in them ; and the weight of his business was never 
wholly lifted from even his sportive thoughts. He 
was a thorough expert in coaching, with an ex- 
pertness to make ashamed the millionaire revivalist 
of stage-coaching in our days ; and when he had. 
loaded his coach we may be very sure that it went 
off in a proper manner, in spite of the little accident 
on the canal bank the night before election, as de- 
scribed by his son Sam. 

But the art Tony Weller possessed was expended 
on such stage-coaching as England knew in the 
good old times — the coaching that Irving and 
Dickens have delighted to celebrate, It was all 
very charming and picturesque, with its summer 
beauties and its winter cheer; with, its robust 
(6=;) 



^6 lTt)ORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

heartiness and its inspiring speed ; with the gay 
music of the guard's hdrn, the quaint humor of the 
driver's talk and the odd characters among the 
" insides" and the ** outsides." But it is interesting 
to speculate how long the heartiness and the in- 
spiration and the gayety would have lasted, and 
'what relations would have been developed between 
guard and driver and passengers if the whole party 
of them had been set going in a Jersey coach, on a 
Jersey road a hundred years ago. 

What must by courtesy be called a stage-line 
"was established between Mount Holly and Phila- 
delphia at a very early period ; but it did not move 
to the gay tra-la-la music of a guard's key-bugle, 
r.nd Dickens or Irving would have had hard work 
to adjust his enthusiastic paragraphs to its descrip- 
tion. It afforded plenty of opportunity for pic- 
turesque writing, but its picturesqueness was of a 
totally different kind to that dwelt upon by the 
authors mentioned, and was made up of elements 
that they were not familiar with, or at all events 
chose not to say anything about. 

The coach of that ancient stage-line was a Cones- 
toga wagon ; and when we take into account the 
fact that it had no springs, and the further fact that 
the roads in its day were not Telford pavements, we 
may conclude that a reasonable amount of discom- 
fort could be got out of the ride to Philadelphia. 
Such measures as could be tak jn to lessen the dis- 



COACHING TIMES. 6/ ; 

comfort were brought into use. Woo.den bows 
spanned the top of the conveyance, and over these 
bows canvas was stretched, so that the passengers 
■were shielded from the sun and the rain, and 
measurably from the wind also. Their view of the 
landscape was somewhat curtailed, but there is no 
pleasure without its compensating disadvantage, 
and they could no'; expect to have everything. 

The stage-wagon ran at uncertain intervals, and 
the journey v/as of uncertain duration. Whether 
the modern livery practice of charging by the hour 
for the ride was adopted we are not informed, but 
probably not. At all events, such as it was, the 
line was run for the convenience of the public, and 
the people were enabled to make the trip in rather 
less time — occasionally, perhaps, with rather less 
comfort — than on foot. When there was mail to 
be carried the stage-v/agon carried it; and from 
that day until the railroad came into operation there 
was always a stage line running from Mount Holly 
to Philadelphia, and it always carried the mail. 

The Conestoga, we are told, held its position as 
the public conveyance until about the year 1826, 
when it was superseded by a modification of the 
Concord stage-coach. When that made its appear- 
ance the travelling public felt that the acme of 
luxury had been reached, and that frame of mind 
was enjoyed to the full until the railroad put new 
notions into the public head, and bred discontent. 



^S MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW.. 

In the meantime Moorestown enjoyed the advan-^ 
tage of the best that was to be had in the travelling 
way ; for the road from Mount Holly to Camdea 
runs through Moorestown, and the stages took up 
and set down such passengers as might so desire.. 
In process of time these passengers became sq 
numerous that the advantages of an independent 
stage line from Moorestown to Camden suggested 
themselves. Just when the idea began to take 
shape, and when it was practically carried into- 
effect are points that nobody seems to have definite 
information about. Neither is it positively known 
to whom the honor belongs of starting the first 
stage-line from Moorestown. Whoever he was 
he had a goodly share of energy and enterprise,, 
qualities that were by no means lacking in the 
community generally. 

One of the earliest stage proprietors of whom 
we have mention here was Peter Venable, and it is 
probable that he ran his line of coaches about 1820. 
He was succeeded in the business by John Keen. 
How long either of them maintained the business 
is not known ; but David McCoy, who succeeded 
John Keen as proprietor, is thought to have taken 
the business before 1825. Under his administra- 
tion two coaches were run, and McCoy and Charles 
Wilcher were the drivers thereof. McCoy seems 
not to have held the proprietorship of the line for 
any very long time, but sold out in his turn ta 



COACHING TIMES. U9 

John West, and became once more a driver in the 
service of the new proprietor. 

The business of the line in the meantime con- 
tinued to increase as Moorestown and the region 
around it gained more and more in population. 
The two stages of the line went and came loaded 
with passengers, for the people of the place kept up 
a brisk communication with Philadelphia. There 
were cfood inducements for them to do so, aside 
from the fact that Philadelphia is a desirable place 
to be in communication with. In the first place 
the fare was cheap — only thirty-seven cents ; and 
in the second place the stages were " accommoda- 
tion wagons" in the literal sense, and went out into 
the country round about, within reasonable limits, 
to take up outgoing passengers and leave incoming 
passengers at their homes. The vehicles used, too, 
were now comfortable spring wagons, with cur- 
tained covers. 

The condition of affairs Avas such as to invite 
■competition, and competition came, as it is very 
sure to do in any promJsIng line of business. 
About the year 1831 William Doughten, a resident 
'business man here, established an opposition line 
of stages, and from that time for a term of years 
Moorestown enjoyed the experiences of a lively 
business contest in that particular Industry. The 
old line had its headquarters at the William Penn 
Hotel ; the new line established itself at the Wash- 



pro RIOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

ington Hotel, and so the people of both sections of 
the town were given the right to feel a proprietary 
interest in the two enterprises. 

The proprietor of the opposition stages offered 
his patrons the inducement of improved vehicles to 
ride in. His coaches are said to have been hand- 
somer and more comfortable than those previously 
in use. What additional advantages were offered, 
by the old line v/e are not informed, but v/e may 
be sure that the nev/ line was not permitted to have, 
things all its own vv-ay. The great advantage, how^^ 
ever, was offered by both lines to the general 
travelling public ; and it came in such shape as 
is now offered to competing railroads that take 
position outside the pool — " cut rates." It is not 
recorded that the cutting in fares reached such an 
extreme as they once did on the Hudson River,^ 
v/hen one line of steamers advertised to take pas- 
sengers from Albany to New York and back for 
nothing, and the rival line promptly offered to pay 
every passenger a silver quarter for taking the trip 
on its boat; but still the reduction in rates was 
appreciable and appreciated. 

Which parly began it we are not informed, or 
hov/ dejp the first cut extended ; but the fares were 
finally red Lice J by both parties from thirty-seven 
cents to tw'onLy-five cents for tlie trip, Moreover 
the extent of territory outside tlie vilh'.ge to whick 
the accommodation w.-.s offj.jJ iCicW wider and 



COACHING ti:.:Eo. ^ji 

wider. In the days before the opposition the stage" 
was accustomed to go a mile or so outside the 
town to accommodate a passenger; but under the 
new order of things the opposing Hnes beat up the 
country within a circuit of five miles, and pas- 
sengers as far away as Borton's Landing took a 
breezy stage-ride to Philadelphia for the sum of 
twenty-five cents. 

In the meantime two lines of stages were running 
from IMount Holly, the through fare from that place 
being fifty cents. Truly those were lively times for 
Moorestown, and we can fancy the brisk state of 
affairs on Alain street at "stage time," and the 
excitement at the opposition hotels when the local 
stages were arriving and departing, and the Mount 
Holly stages made their stops in going and coming. 
Their stops, by the way, were a mere matter of 
form except for the changing of the mail bag, for 
there were no Moorestown passengers for them at 
that time. Home patronage of home institutions 
was the motto then, we can believe. 

The earnest competition of the two lines vras 
shared to the full by the local population, and the 
community ranged itself, on strictly party lines, in 
two bodies, according as sympathy lay with one 
proprietor or the other. Party feeling ran high ai 
times, and an unpleasant state of affairs existed ir 
the neighborhood. The contention took a range 
outside of strict business limits and became in a 



^2 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

manner a public issue. It became more and 
more desirable that the business difference should 
be adjusted and the resulting irritation allayed. 
Whatever efforts at compromise were made were 
ineffectual, and it became evident that the only 
practicable way was the consolidation of the two 
lines. 

About the year 1 83 1 William Doughten's son, 
George F. Doughten, had come to Moorestovvn 
to establish a mercantile enterprise. He formed a 
partnership with John Courtland Haines, and they 
began keeping a store in the old frame building 
that occupied the site where George F. Doughten's 
store now stands, at the corner of Main street and 
Chester avenue. It was through the action of these 
two partners that the competition in the stage 
business, and the unpleasantness resulting from it 
were ended together. This desirable end was 
was r'.ccomplished in the most direct manner possi- 
ble, \)y the purchase of the two opposing interests, 
and the consolidation of them into one enterprise. 

It was about the year 1835 that Haines & 
Doughten bought and consolidated the two lines, 
and the competition had existed then, with varying 
degrees of acrimony, for about four years. The 
term of the new ownership was of a duration not 
to be compared with that, and was probably the 
shortest period of proi)rietorship in the history of 
staee-coacliinsj here. In fact the new owners did 



COACHING TLM 



75 



not harness a team, start a coach or crack a whip 
while they held control of the consolidated lines. 
They made their purchase on Saturday evening, 
rafter the week's travel had ended, and sold out 
•early the following Monday morning, before the 
week's travel had begun. The last trip of one week 
was made under the old conditions of sharp compe- 
tition, and the first trip of the next v/cck v/as made 
under a single ownership without rivalry; and the 
business had changed hands twice in the interval. 
David McCoy, the man who had succeeded John 
Keen as proprietor of the single line, who had sold 
out to John West, and subsequently acted as his 
driver, purchased the consolidated line from Haines 
& Doughten, and again became proprietor of a single 
line, composed of the two strands that had wrought 
such a tangle in the intervening years. He estab- 
lished the headquarters of his coaches, not at the 
William Penn or Washington Hotels but at Cox's 
Tavern, the building now occupied as a double 
dwelling house just above the residence of Mr. 
George F. Doughten, on the Main street. He 
built a barn on the premises, which is still standing 
there, and had a shed put up which would hold 
six stage wagons. The shed occupied the ground 
on which Mr. Doughten's residence now stands. 
In 1842, after occupying the tavern for several 
years as a renter, McCoy purchased the Cox prop- 
erly. Previously he had endeavored to buy the lot 



AIOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

on which the wagon sheds stood, with a view to 
building there, but I\Ir. Doughten had already 
negotiated for the purchase of that as a residence 
lot, and McCoy concluded to stay where he was. 

After exercising the rights of ownership for a 
number of years David r\IcCoy sold the stage line 
to Abel Small. McCoy's proprietorship had been 
without competition; but the administration of 
Abel Small was marked by a revival of opposition, 
accompanied by some degree of the old neighbor- 
hood feeling. Elihu Sheppard Low — or " Shep" 
Low, as he was generally called — established an 
opposition line, and lor a time Moorestov/n exper- 
ienced a revival of the old lively scenes. This 
state of affairs seems not to have lasted very long, 
however, and the conflict was settled by the pur- 
chase of Small's interest, and the consolidation 
of the two enterprises under the partnership of Low 
& Westcott. After a time the firm w^as changed 
by the sale of Westcott's interests to Nathan H. 
Stokes, by which substitution the firm name became 
Low & Stokes. 

Stokes was at that time proprietor of the Wash- 
ington hotel, which v/as the headquarters for the 
coaches. Low represented his own interest on the 
coach box by driving for himself; but Stokes had 
to employ a substitute in that capacity, as his time 
was fully occupied by his hotel interests. On Dec. 
I, 1850, E. B. Brown came to Moorestown to drive 



COACHING TIMES. 



75. 



stage for Stokes. Two stages ran each way every 
day ; one down in the morning and up in the after- 
noon, and the other down in the afternoon and up 
in the morning; and Low drove on one of these 
round trips and Brown on the other, occasionally 
" chano-'Ug off" with each other as mutual ac- 
ccmir.odation made it desirable. 

After an experience of four years as driver, E. B. 
Brown bought the interest of Nathan Stokes in 
the line, and the style of the line became Low c: 
Brown. Under the new administration Moores- 
town invaded Mount Holly and absorbed its stage 
coach interests. Lov/ 8c Brown maintained two 
lines of coaches, one running from Mount Holly 
to Camden and back, and the other running from 
Moorestown to Camden and back. The Mount 
Holly coach carried the mail and as it passed 
through Moorestown on every trip this place en- 
joyed the full advantage of both lines. Low drove 
the Mount Holly coach and Brown the Moores- 
town vehicle. 

The coach headquarters in Mount Holly was 
the Arcade Hotel, and after a time Low purchased 
the hotel aiid employed a driver to represent him 
in the st.igo coacli business. He retained his part- 
nership interest for sonic years after his purchase 
of the Arcade, but hiudly the firm of Low & 
Brown was dissolved and the IMount Holly and 
^loorebtown stacre lines became (.l.^linct, Low re- 



_76 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

taining the proprietorship of the Mount Holly 
business, and Brown becoming sole owner of the 
Moorestown line. The old firm had held the con- 
tract for carrying the mail ; and when the new 
contract was let after the dissolution of the partner- 
ship, it was found that Brown's bid was the bid 
which had won, and to him was given the job of 
carrying the mail between Mount Holly an i 
Philadelphia. The mail bag went back and fortli. 
on his former partner's coach, the only difference 
being that Low got his pay for carrying it from 
Ih'own instead of the Government. 

In the summer of 1 86a, Mr. Brown decided to 
dispose of his stage coach interests and go into 
other business. So he sold the staere line to 
Chalkley Justice, and went into r.icrcantile business 
where the store of E. B. Brov/n and Brother now is. 
Justice, after his purchase from Brown, entered into 
partnership with Low, and once mure the Mount 
Holly and Moorestown stage lines ca:ne under one 
management. The new partncrsliip was not of 
long continuance. Some time the next year Low 
and Justice sold the two lines to John Coles; and 
he, after a rather short term of ownership, sold 
them to William A. Nestor, of Philadelphia. Nes- 
tor kept the business but a few months, and then 
in 1863, sold out to C. C. Coles and Benjamin Coles, 
b.'-others of John Coles, foraier proprietor. The 
slylo of the firm was C. C. Coles and Brother. They 



COACHING TIMES. 



7T 



ran the two lines for four years and during those 
years did a splendid business. Population had in- 
creased, the road had been improved, and travel to 
and from the city was exceedingly brisk. 

But on October 20, 1867 their enterprise came to 
a sudden stop, and the stage-coach business between 
here and Philadelphia received its death blow. 
The railroad had been completed, trains had begun 
to run, travellers went by rail instead of by coach, 
and the Coles Brothers found themselves in posses- 
sion of several coaches and a number of good 
horses that they had no earthly use for. The 
horses were disposed of from time to time as oppor- 
tunity offered, and the coaches were sold at public 
sale, at more or less of a sacrifice. The brothers 
had become proprietors of the William Penn Hotel, 
and devoted themselves to the business of hotel 
keeping. Their mail contract continued in force 
till the following spring, and with its expiration the 
last link that connected them with their former 
business disappeared, and the old coaching days be- 
came a tradition, so far as Moorestown is concerned. 

One can sympathize with the sigh of regret with 
which the former proprietors speak of those old 
stage-coach times. Jiven the enthusiastic admirer 
of English coaching might have had some inspira- 
tion from the later years of stage coach experience 
here. This was a splendid line — probably the best 
in New Jersey; and after the turnpike was made 



■yS MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NE'w. 

ihe road between here and Philadelphia v/as a 
iine one. The horses were of good stock and 
the coaches w^ere comfortable and easy vehicles. 
Trav^el was very active, and it is said that during 
the height of the competition a good many people 
went to Philadelphia who had no other reason for 
going than to patron'ze the line they favored and 
sliow on which side their sympathies lay. 

Saturday nights and Monday mornings were the 
"imes of especially heavy travel. At that time 
Mrs. Mary Lippincott's boarding school was in the 
full tide of its prosperity, and pupils living in Phila- 
delphia, or between here and there, crowded the 
Saturday night stages going home and the Monday 
morning stages coming back. Tsloreover, IMoores- 
tovv'n was a favorite p'.ace for rural sojourning, and 
city people came ou' liere in numbers on Saturday 
nights and returned Monday mornings ; and so the 
tide of travel r,wept heavily in both directions at 
these times. Six horses to the coach was t'le rule 
for those trips, and we are told by some of the 
•proprietors of single coach loads composed of fifty- 
three passengers. It would seem that the art of 
high pressure packing did not originate with the 
street cars ! But even this does not fully indicate 
the extent of travel over this line, for the regular 
coach had to be supplemented on extra occasions 
-by another, and it was no extraordinary thing for 



COACHING TIMES. - 79 

the Satm-d.iy nlglit trip to be made by four or five 
coaches and a hack beside. 

In the competition days there was hot haste m 
makin- the trips, we may be sure; the drivers 
cnteri.v- into the spirit of the contest as ardently 
•IS the proprietors. The drivers of each hne made 
everv effort to make better time than their rivals ; 
and if one of them could achieve the feat of over- 
tokino- and passing an oppsition coach on the road 
it was a thin- to remember and boast of in after 
years But the highest glory for a driver lay in 
secvring for his own coach a passenger that the 
other Ime regarded as already secured for itself. 
It is related of one driver that he not only overtook 
the opposition coach on the road ; but that recog- 
no- a lady acquaintance in the other vehicle, he 



VAZl 



illV 



Hivited her to finish her ride with him, and actually 
transferred her to his own conveyance and drove 
off with her, while his discomfitted rival exhaustea 
the English language in compressing his emotions. 
Veriiy.Vine stirring times were those old Coacmng 

IjdVS. 




CllAmti VIII. 

Comiitg of the Railroad. 

'UMAN life adjusts itself pretty readily to 
circumstances, and in that way becomes 
measurably independent of them. It is 
an easy thing to do when the adjustment 
is in a forward direction, and the change is from 
bad circumstances to good, or from good to better; 
but it i^ more difficult in going backward. Horse- 
back riding and skiff navigation were all well enough 
so long as there were no more expeditious ways of 
accomplishing the desired journey; but when the 
old stage-wagon and the stage-boat came to the 
fore the people Avere ready for them and the new 
methods readily became the accustomed methods. 
These in their turn Avere all right until the Concord 
stage and the more commodious passenger boat 
made their appearance; then these quickly took 
their place in the established system of things and 
were most satisfactory institutions. The stage in 
turn gave place to the railroad car, and people 
adjusted themselves with wonderful facility to the 
new mode of progress. 

But how would it be about going back from 
the railroad car to the stage-wagon, or even the 
(80) 



COMING OF THE RAILROAD. 8V 

newer Concord? It could and would be done,, 
of course, if the necessity arose; but it would not 
be done with the same readiness as in the other 
casc^;. for it is harder to walk backward than for- 
V.' ird. A railroad is a very hard thing to do with- 
out when you have once got used to it ; and we 
have become thoroughly accustomed to it. Our 
system of life is adjusted on that basis, and it would 
be hard indeed to re-arrange our way of living so 
as to have no reference to the iron rails. 

Stage-coaching ended abruptly when railroading- 
began. They did not overlap ; and they did not: 
go on in parallel lines. The stage-coach was ex- 
changed for a railroad-car, and that was the end of 
it. The time was not so very long ago that the 
exchange was made, but even now the event seems 
to belong to a remote historical epoch, and the old 
stage-coach is nothing to us but a picturesque tradi- 
tion. Some of the men who owned and drove the 
old coaches are still among us, in the prime of life ; 
but when they tell of their coaching experiences 
they seem to refer to a very far away time, instead 
of to a time that ended less than twenty years ago. 

It was not by wishing for it that Moorestown got 
the railroad, nor yet by striving for it. The attitude 
of the community toward tht .^-ojected enterprise- 
was rather that of expectant waiting than that of 
active effort for or against. How it might have 
been if this had been a terminal point of the pro- 



32 M00RE3T0WN, OLD AND NEW. 

posed line cannot be said. Then there might have 
been active hostihty and ardent advocacy and a 
sharp drawing of Hnes on one side and the other. 
But Moorestown would be an intermediate point 
if the road were built, and therefore had less at 
stake upon the decision for or against than it other- 
wise would have had, and so waited on the issue of 
the contest waged by others, herself taking no very 
.active part one way or the other. 

The community waited with a divided mind, how- 
•ever. The prevailing sentiment was in favor of 
the proposed railroad, and the majority of residents 
welcomed the prospect with gladness. The new 
mode of transit would be an added convenience, 
they argued; it would bring Philadelphia on the 
one hand and Mount Holly on the other n:}arer to 
Moorestown, and the result could not be otherwise 
than good. New people would come here, the 
town would be built up and its prosperity advanced, 
while life would have new pleasures and opportuni- 
ties added to it. That was the feeling of the 
majority; but there seems to have been a strong 
minority entertaining a very different feeling. With 
this class the very arguments advanced in favor of 
the railroad wore arguments against it. 

Philadelphia would be brought closer to Moores- 
town, but to Moorestown's disadvantage, they 
thought. The business of the local storekeepers 
would be injured by the easier access to the city. 



COMING OF THE RAILROAD. ^'» 

l^ew people might come, but there was the fear that 
the good and desirable new-comers might be out- 

i numbered by a class not at all desirable. Property 
might be advanced in value, but taxes Avould be 

^ corresp.Midingly increased. And after all, said some 
of these objectors, things were very well as they 
were. There was no need of a railroad. The drive 
to Philadelphia was a very pleasant one, and people 
could go th^re very comfortably whenever they 
needed to go Many of the residents owned their 
carriages, and for those who did not the stages were 
always available. 

These were the grounds the two opposing parties 
occupied on the railroad issue. The difference of 
sentiment did not advance to the point of contro- 
versy, and if there v/as no very ardent and enthu- 
siastic support given to the enterprise here, on the 
other hand there was no active and or2:anized 
hostility to it. In the end those who had favored 
the building of the road were made glad, and those 
who had not favored it made the best of what had 
to be, for the railroad came and staid. 

It was by a somev/hat complicated series of links 
lh;itthis place became finally bound to the railroad 
.system of the State. If Mount Holly had desired 
3uch a connection l.:ss strongly and pertinaciously 
thaji she did, IMoorcscown might have been without 
ic for an unknown period. In iS36a company was 

■ incorporated under tl.j title of the Mount Holly 



S4 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

and Camden Railroad Company. Tlie charter was: 
granted for a railroad to extend from Mount Holly 
to Camden. A large amount of stock was sub- 
scribed for the enterprise, but not enough to insure 
its success. It is said that the Camden and Amboy 
Company discouraged the project and brought their 
forces to bear against it. At all events the road' 
was not completed within the specified time and 
the charter became void. So Moorestown did not 
become a railroad town then. 

Another charter was granted in February, 1848; 
which specified that the proposed railroad was to 
run from Mount Holly to Camden, passing through 
or near the village of Moorestown. The bed of the 
road was to be not more than sixty-six feet wide,, 
with as many sets of rails as might be necessary, 
and the road was to be completed within five years 
from the next ensuing Fourth of July. But the- 
specified time passed, and Moorestown did not cel- 
ebrate its Fourth of July with the aid of a railroad 
train ; neither were there any rails for the train to 
run upon. 

In 1848, which seems to have been a very good 
year for paper railroads, the Burlington and Mount 
Holly Railroad and Transportation Company was 
incorporated by act of the Legislature. The enter- 
prise, it is stated, was fostered by the Camden and 
Amboy Company, to enable the people of Mount 
Holly and vicinil)^ to go to Philadelphia by way of 



COMING OF THE RAILROAD. g- 

its railroad. The road was to run from Mount 
Holly to Burlington, and was to be completed and 
in use within five years from the next Fourth of 
July. The road was promptly built and put into 
service. In 1857, by a supplementary act, the 
name of this company was changed to the Burling- 
ton County Railroad Company, and the company 
was authorized to build an extension of its road 
from Mount Hjolly to Pemberton in this county, 
and to New Egypt, in Ocean county. 

The Mount Holly people were not yet satisfied 
with their railroad facilities; and notwithstanding 
die failure of their previous experiments they be- 
sieged the Legislature industriously for another 
charter, and finally, notwithstanding the opposition 
of other railroad interests, they got wliat they were 
after. In March, 1859, the Camden, Moorestown, 
Hainesport and Mount Holly Horse Car Railroad 
Company had been incorporated. The road was to 
run from Camden to Mount Holly, passing through 
the villages of Moorestown and Hainesport, and 
was to be completed within five years from the 
same patriotic date specified for the other roads. 
The idea of a horse-railroad, derived from the suc- 
'Cessful experiments in that line in England and in 
some parts of this country, seems to have been 
entertained in good faith, and the line was located 
with a view to horse-power rather than steam-power. 

The horse railroad was not put through ; but the 



^^ MOOKKSTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

promoters of the railroad project succeeded in using 
the old charter indirectly. On the 6th of February, 
1B66, the Legislature passed an act consolidating 
the Burlington County and the Camden, Moores- 
town, liainesport and Mount Holly Horse-Car 
Railroad Companies, under the name of the Cam- 
den and Burlington County Railroad Company. 
This change of name was of the utmost benefit to 
railroad literature ; for few things qan be imagined 
more appalling than having to write or to read the 
string of initials that would have been necessary 
had the old namie been retained. People would 
have been justifiably afraid to ride on a train run. 
by the C, M, H. & Mt. H. H. C. R. R. Co. 

The capital stock of the consolidated company 
was ^300,000, with the privilege of increasing the 
stock to $500,000, divided into shares of ^25 each. 
The consolidated company was authorized to con- 
nect v/ith the Camden and Amboy Railroad before 
reachino' Camden, and to run their cars and trains 
upon the same on such terms as might be agreed 
upon by the two companies. The road was requir- 
ed to pay to the State a tax of one half of one per 
cent, on the cost of the road annually. 

Full right and authority v/as given in the chartei 
to use ^steam on the road ; and when work began it 
was not work such as would be required for a horse 
car railroad, but for a regularly equipped stean 
road, and the horse-car fiction dropped finally out- 



COMING OF THE RAILROAD. 8/ 



SI 



ight. Work was pushed forward and the* 
opposition which had existed ceased. It was 
changed to active support, and the opposing force 
turned ; its efforts towards securing a controUing; 
interest in the new road. In October, 1867 trains,, 
began running between Mount Holly and Camden,.. 
and Moorcstown became at once a raih'oad town,. 
connected vAth Philadelphia on the one hand ; and,, 
by a very convenient railroad system, v^-ith numer- 
ous desirable points on the other. 

In 1S61 the Vincentown branch of the Burlington 
County Railroad was incorporated, and afterward 
consolidated with the latter road. In 1864 the 
Pemberton and Hightstovv^i Railroad was incor- 
porated, to run from Pemberton, in this county, to 
Hightstown in Mercer county ; connecting at Pem- 
berton with the Burlington Country road, and at 
Hightstown with the Camden and Amboy road ; 
and passing the villages of Wrights -own, Cooks- 
town, New Egypt, Harmertown, Filmore and Im- 
laystown. The i\Iount Holly, Lumberton and Med- 
ford road was chartered in 1866. It runs from 
Mount Holly to Medford, passing through Lum- 
berton. In 1866 the Columbus, Kinkora and 
Springfield Railroad Company was also incorpor- 
ated, the road to be laid on the old bed of the Dela- 
ware and Atlantic Railroad Company. The Long 
Branch and Seashore Railroad Company was incor- 
porated in 1863, the road to run from " a point oa 



' 38 MOORESTOAVxV, OLD AND NEW. 

I 

I Sandy Hook in the county of Monmouth, at or 
' near the Horseshoe, running through Long Branch ; 
thence through or near Squan village to a point on 
Tom's River, at or near Tom's River village in the 
county of Ocean ; thence to Tuckerton in the 
county of Burlington." In 1870 this company and 
the New Jersey Southern Railroad Company were 
authorized to consolidate, the roads to be united at 
or near Long Branch. This road ran to Pcmber- 
ton, and in 1878 the mortgage on it was foreclosed, 
and Isaac S. Buckalew was appointed receiver. He 
sold it May, 1879, and afterwards it was reorgan- 
ized as the Pemberton and Seashore Railro:id. 
With all these, and more, railroad connections it 
would seem that Moorestown has a very fair oppor- 
tunity to do business errands or go pleasuring by rail. 
At present these roads all form parts of a com- 
pact system under the control of the Pennsylvcinia 
Railroad Company. First the Pemberton an 1 
Hightstown road ; the Columbus, Kinkora and 
Springfield road; the Camden and Burkngtcn 
County ; and the Mount Holly, Lumberton and 
Medford roads, and the Vincentown branch w^rc 
leased to the United New Jersey Railroad and 
Canal Company ; and then the United New Jersey 
Railroad and Canal Company was leased by the 
Pennsylvania Railroad Company, at an annual rental 
of ten per cent, upon the capital stock and interest 
on its bonds free of all taxes. All the roads nun- 



COMING OF THE RAILIiOAD. 



S9 



tioned above are operated by the Pennsylvania 
Railroad Company as lessees of the United New 
Jersey Railroad and Canal Company. 

This lease was effected June 30, 1 871, and on 
March 27, 1873, an act was approved by which 
the lease and contract ** between the Delaware and 
Raritan Canal Company, the Camden and Amboy 
-Railroad and Transportation Company now merged 
into and known as * The United Nev/ Jersey Rail- 
road and Canal Company,' which companies, to- 
gether with the Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad 
Company, are the lessors ; and the Pennsylvania 
Railroad Company, which is the lessee, be and the 
same is validated, ratified and confirmed/* &c. 

The first passenger train from Camden to Mount 
Holly passed through Moorestown on the opening 
•day of the Mount Holly Fair, in October, 1867. 
It stopped here, and the people of Moorestown 
enjoyed their first opportunity of going to the Fair 
by rail. That was a special train, however, and not 
the first of the regular running. It was but a short 
time afterwards that the road was fully opened to 
b'^^iness, and trains were set going on regular 
sc-.edule in both directions. There was no formal 
demonstration at the opening of the road. Several 
friends of the directors took a ride to Mount Holly 
as invited guests, had supper there and came back 
home, and that was all. 

At the beo-innin": of its rail.oad expe^'e^icj 



no . MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. , 

]\Iooi'C3to\vn had but one station, and that was the 
one at present called East IMoorestown. It was not; 
so designated then, but was simply the Moorestown 
station. The location of the stopping place was the 
subject of a good deal of discussion, and the occa- 
sion of some feeling between the two sections of 
the town. When the present site of the station 
was suggestoa, the people In the western portion of 
the tow^n entered a protest against the location as 
one that would render the railroad almost impracti- 
cable for them, being so far away from their homes. 
With such a journey to accomplish they would 
never be able to catch a train, and as they were unac- 
customed to the work of catching trains, it would 
be hard enough under any circumstances. Resi- 
dents in the eastern part of the town argued that it 
was just as far from East to West as it was from 
West to East, and therefore they did not favor a 
station in W^est Moorestown. A location at the 
foot of Mill street was urged as one that would 
accommodate the people of both sections. This 
was opposed on the ground that it would not ac- 
commodate either, but would be inconvenient for 
both. 

Those who favored East IM ^orestown were con- 
vinced that in the course of time another station 
would be built in the western part of the town and 
that in the end the people of both sections would 
be better served by having the first station put near 



COMING OF THE RAILROAD. 



9r 



one end of the town, even if the other end did have 
to wait a httle while for the fulfillment of its desires. 
Their efforts were successful, and the first station, 
as has been said, was established at East Moores- 
tovv'n. Some public spirited property owners gave 
the ground on which the station stands, and when 
the trains began running that was their stopping 
place. For a time a platform was the waiting room 
and a switch-house the ticket office ; but that was 
only for so long as it took to build the station. 
The station was built and ready for occupancv 
when the winter of 1867 began. It is a neat and 
comfortable frame building with a waiting room at 
each end, one for ladies and the other for gentle- 
men, the ticket ofifice being between. Some time 
after its erection it, like all other stations on the 
road was lowered, together with its platform, to 
conform to the newly adopted style of steps on the 
cars. The first ticket agent at East Moorestown 
was Allen Haines, son of Barclay Haines, one of 
the directors of the road. He was succeeded by 
Robert Stimus, who remaincvi in charge there until 
his transfer to West Moorestown. His successor 
was William Carney, whose term of service extend- 
ed through several years and ended with his trans- 
fer to Camden. After Mr. Carney came Mr. Lamb, 
then ]\Ir. Evans, then Mr. Wright, and last ]\Ir. 
Lippincott, the present agent. 

The people in the Western end of the town did 



,Q2 IMOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

J? 

not forbear to agitate the subject of a station that 
would be more convenient for them, and eventually 
'they succeeded in their efforts. The present sta- 
tion on Church Road was erected in the latter part 
•of 1870, and was opened for business January ist, 
1 87 1. On that date Mr. Stimus was transferred 
from East Moorestown to be the West Moorestown 
agent, a position he has filled uninterruptedly ever 
since. This station was the freight and express 
station for the town from its first establishment, 
and was provided with a freight house and platform, 
and with the necessary switches and sidings. It 
was after the erection of this station that the dis- 
tinction was introduced of East Moorestown and 
West Moorestown. 

Over a dozen trains going Eist and as many 
going West stop at eacli of those stations every 
day and Moorestown very reasonably prides her- 
:self on being a well served railroad town. Even 
•those who regarded its advent with niorc or less of 
foreboding have long since been bro'jglit to rejoice 
in the cominq; of the railro:id. 



I 



.I\ 



CiT.MMT!- IX. 

Nczv Elements. 

N'thls country all the elements of populatiorr 
are comparatively new elements. England 
goes back to the time of William the Con- 
queror for the standard of family antiquity;, 
in China the Emperor is brother to the sun, and 
all the nobility have claims to some .sort of celestial 
relationship which imply a considerable degree of 
remoteness in the time of the starting; India dates 
back very successfully, and in Ireland it is well 
understood that Adam came to that country for his, 
second wife. But here we are all new comers. 

The first white residents in Moorestown consti- 
tuted an entirely new element; and there is small 

reason to doubt that the original— or aboriginal 

first families regarded them somewhat in the light 
of intruders, and were to some extent inclined ta 
receive them in war-paint and feathers. The red 
aristocrats, however, making a virtue of necessity 
and accepting the inevitable, as we all must do, 
decided to forego their exclusive preferences, and 
at least make the best of their interloping neigh- 
bors, since they could not get rid of them. It was 
the wisest thing they could^io. Tlu right to come 
(93' 



-94 



Mvj j:ih:sTO\yN. old and new. 



and go is inalienable, and no community can for- 
bid its exercise. New elements will appear, and 
the thing to do is to attract the best, and then 
accept the fact that the resulting compound cannot 
be quite the same as the old one. In the long run it 
will generally be found that the difference has its 
advantages. The intrusion brings its own com- 
pensation, if only in the way of varied interests and 
added Hfe ; for even in a small stream a moderate 
current is far better than the quietest stagnation. 
So the Indians did well to accept the situation. 

For a time after the white settlers began to make 
their homes here there was a continual mingling of 
elements going on. The community grew by 
accretion, and the additions were as diverse as they 
were active. Those who v/ere already here were 
glad to welcome the next new-comer because his 
coming added to the resources of the growing- 
place ; and the new-comer was glad to find the 
others here before him, because they gave him the 
more to do. It was a time of growth ; the place 
assimilated all the new food it could get, and v/as 
continually hungry for more. 

This went on for years ; then at length there Vv'as 
a pause in that phase of the community's growth. 
The diversity in the character of the additions be- 
came less. The place continued to grow, but more 
by the increase of elements already introduced, and 
less by the inti'o J action of new elemjnts. It had 



l^EW ELEMENTS. _ 93 

shaped itself into a more or less homogeneous body 
and its growth was the growth of proportions 
already established. It was very far from settling 
into inactivity; its activity became more and more 
vigorous. Enterprises which, considering the re- 
sources at command and the difficulties to be over- 
come, were remarkable in their inception and results 
were undertaken and successfully carried through. 
r>ut the activity was on lines already laid down in 
harmony with the tendencies of an established 
community, not so much in experimental directions 
as in the earlier period. 

Later still another stage Vv^as reached in the pro- 
cess of development. As a man of energetic nature 
but of moderate and disciplined desires, after 
acquiring by hard toil and vigorous struggle, a 
sufficient fortune to maintain him in reasonable 
comfort, will sometimes relinquish the effort for 
more and settle down to the peaceful enjoyment of 
what he has ; so now and then a community, look- 
ing at the position it has conquered for itself and 
seeing that it is very good, rests for a time in the 
pleasant enjoyment of what it has earned. It is a 
rare enough thing for either a man or a community 
to do, and in this time of feverish and never-satis- 
fied hurry we could wish the example were more 
frequently set ; for it is a good example if not car- 
ried too far— if the man does not rust and the com- 
munity does not stagnate. 



p5 IMOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

Some such point of quiet, restful content ]\Toorcs- 
town reached in the process of time. It had 
achieved, now it would enjoy. It hid quiet tastes, 
and its pleasures it took quietly. 1 Uit though quiet 
it was as far as possible from lethargic. From the 
first a goodly degree of culture, and refinement had 
characterized tlie place, and these became more 
and more characteristic of it. A circle large enough 
at least to give tone to the little com.munity took 
pride and pleasure in keeping up with the best that 
was achieved in literature and science. Public 
spirit lound its mission in ministering to this predi- 
lection, and men of wealth, scholarship and energy 
organized to promote the best enjoyment of the 
community in the most thorough manner. Educa- 
tional and literary facilities were systematically 
increased, and season after, season courses of lec- 
tures on literary, scientific and historical subjects, 
by the best lecturers obtainable, were furnished the 
public. And the public responded most cordially. 
People came from every part of the town and from 
the surrounding country to listen to the speakers 
wlio came, and every lecture night the hall was 
crowded. 

In the meantime the population of the town was 
increasing, but by the addition of people quite in 
harniDuy with the general comiiumity. Prosperous 
i'armers who (At that they had earned rest for the 
>'emaindjr of tlijir years, sold tiuir farms or made 



NEW ELEMENTS. ... ^^ 

them over to their children, bought houses in the 
village and with their wives and some portion of 
their family circles, entered into the quiet pleasures 
of life as they were to be found here. The people 
wore acquainted, every man with his neighbor, and 
•social life of a serene and undemonstrative, but not 
the less pleasant sort prevailed. 

But Moorestown was young yet, in spite of its. 
generous measure of years, and had the vigor of a 
wholesome prime within it. In youth and middle 
age the greatest of pleasures is the pleasure of new 
achievement. A resting spell is highly enjoyable 
but it adds a new zest to the work that comes after 
it. The community as a whole was ready to wel- 
come new elements and such changes as a whole- 
some admixture of them might produce. 

The new elements came, and the ferment of new 
influences began to be felt in the life of the place. 
The people came, not from the neighboring farms 
this time, but from the busy streets of the city. 
Before the advent of the railroad the advantages of 
Moorestown as a good place for city people" who 
wished a home in a rural quarter had begun to be 
recognized, and now and then a city family had 
taken up its abode here. But these had not been 
numerous. Visitors had come from time to time, 
taking pleasant recollections away with them ; occa- 
sional leisurely sojourners spent a summer here, 
and enjoyed their quiet experiences; pupils at the 



98 



MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 



boarding school, and friends who had visited them, 
remembered what a goodly place Moorestown was. 
But all these impressions and recollections referred 

■±o a place apart ; a place that was good to visit but 

••would be inconvenient to live in. So people from 
the city were slow in coming to make their homes 

.here. 

The railroad came, making the pleasant old rural 

ttown practically a suburb of Philadelphia. Then 
the gathered recollections of the people who had 
been here began to suggest practical possibilities. 
The railroad had made available what before had 
been out of reach. Here was a beautiful old village 
.s6t amid delightful country surroundings ; its loca- 
tion was most encouragingly healthy; it was the 
home of an orderly and well-settled community, 
■with solidly established social life and institutions ; 
there was nothing new and raw about the place ; 
here pure country air could be enjoyed, and the 
•wholesome quiet of village life realized ; the ex- 
penses of living would be lessened and the advan- 
tages of living — some of them at least — would be 
increased; and the railroad placed this desirable 
opportunity for a change of home within reach 
of the city clerk and the city business man by 
enabling him to pass quickly and conveniently be- 
tween his country home and his city working place, 
and so enjoy the pleasures of country living and 
the profits of city working. Is it any wonder 



NEW ELEMENTS. 



99 



*that Philadelphia families began to invade r^Ioores- 

town in increasing numbers ? 

The desire of the man who lives in the city to 
■get into the country is only equalled by the desire 

of the man who lives in the country to get into the 

* city. Here was a good place for both classes to 
compromise on; a place where they could have 
the advantages of the country and still be within 

-easy reach of the city when they should want the 

^ city. So those who were already here staid, and 

those who were not already here came — a good 

many of them at all events. Men from the city 

bought houses and established their families here; 

other men from the city bought lots here and built 

'houses to suit themselves ; while still others, who 

V could not afford to build, or who wished to try the 

experiment of a temporary residence first, became 

tenants and rented such houses as were for rent. 

.And so the population grev/ and the old town 

enlarged its borders. 

These new-comers brought with them their own 
"ideas and predilections, and a new force was intro- 

• duced into the life of Moorestown. A big stone 
had been thrown into the placid pool and the sur- 
face thereof v;as broken into restless ripples. The 

- spirit of change had begun its ceaseless work, not 
^violently but none the less effectually. New im- 
7 pulses rubbed against old methods and the result 
nvas acritation in a Ljrcater or less degree. The 



100 MOORE.STOVv'N, OLD AND NE'.Y. 

movements of life became modified in one way and" 
another by the action and reaction of the new ele- 
ments and the old, and changes gradually came to-- 
pass. The old social life maintained itself, but 
another type was established beside it. Facilities 
for education had to be increased to answer the- 
purposes of so many additional children brought 
from the city by the new residents. Business,, 
which had dreaded the influence of the railroad to 
some extent as a depressing force, was increased 
by the demands of the added population. The 
churches felt the fore : of tlie change and had a 
larger and different membership. In every direc- 
tion a difference was felt. 

The community as a whole welcomed the differ- 
ence and accepted the changed conditions. But; 
for a time there were exceptions. Not all the old 
residents could see and feel that this state of affairs 
was any improvement over the old. Some of these- 
new-comers, they said, were very outspoken^ about 
demanding improvements and very reticent about 
paying for them. Others insisted on changes which, 
were not to the taste of the old community. Others 
were here merely for their own temporary advan- 
tage, with no corresponding advantage to the place. 
Burdens were being put upon the whole community 
for the sake of benefitting the new-comers solely. 
Altogether the change was not unqualifiedly for 
the better, they thought. 



TfEW ELEMENTS. XOI 

But this state of mind — at no time the general 
:state of mind — gave place to other convictions in 
the course of time. The changed condition of 
affairs was accepted, and now everybody's clock is 
set according to the new standard of time. Moores- 
town is what it is and not what it wa^ ; that fact is 
acquiesced in by all. The two populations, the old 
and the new, have become one population, and a 
well ordered progress in the line of desirable im- 
provements is the common purpose of all. Busi- 
ness and social life have been adjusted to the new 
order of things. Enterprises have been projected 
and carried forward, with the aim of making a resi- 
dence here still more attractive and advantageous 
to new-comers ; and the general tone of feeling in 
the community is that every addition to the right 
kind of new elements here is a thing to be greatly 
-desired. 




Chapter X. 
Streets and Roads. 

i IE Main street of Moorest^wncxlenJs frofii' 

Mount Holly to Camden, and thus alTords 

ji,'«?^v-^^n ample scope for the growth of the town 



^g'^g-vf in either direction. The old Burlington, 
and Salem road — "The King's High- 
way" — laid out in 16S2, occupied in its course 
through Moorestown nearly the same ground that 
the Main street now covers. In 1794 the present 
turnpike from Mount Holly to Camden was laid; 
out; and from the toll gate on the East to the same, 
distance below Moorestown on the West it extends 
over much the same course as the old highway,, 
and comprises the Main street as one of its parts. 

As the region filled up with settlers other roads 
were constructed fiom time to time, connecting the 
newly settled poi-iIons with the established centers 
of population ; and with the river on the one hand 
and the ocean on the other, tliese roads have a 
double usefulness to-day, Vv-hen the regions they 
connect are no longer new. They form the chan- 
nels through which Hows a rich and never-ceasing 
tide of tniffic, and they offer a series of the most 
(102) 



Streets and roads. 10^, 

dcliglitrul rural drives to those wiio seek the Oppdr'-- 
tunity to enjoy one of the prime pleasures of life. 

As its name implies, Main street is the principal 
thorouc;,hfare of the place. It is a section of thc^. 
turnpike road, and is broad and well kept. It prac-- 
tically forms the Southern border of the ti^-.vn; and' 
as a street may be said to ext ond from Mr. Arthur - 
Miller's residence on the East to the ''Forks of the 
Road" — \vhcre the Mount Holly turnpike andl thc- 
Haddonfield road separate — on the West, over-look'- 
ing the southern valley through all its length. On 
this street are located all the churches save one ; 
both the Friends' meeting houses ; nearly all the 
stores and shops ; both the hotels ; the Academy, 
the Bank, the Postoffice, the Town Hall and the. 
various lodge and society rooms. 

But it is not merely — or chiefly — a busmess^ 
.street; it is also one of the principal residence 
streets of the town, and, ranged on either side of it 
throughout its extent, are many beautiful homes. 
In no part of its course is the street entirely given 
over to traffic ; and business houses arc neighbored 
by private residences with their well-shaded door- 
yards, and in some cases their long stretches of 
lawn and shrubbery. Along- the South side partic- 
ularly, there is an almost continuous line of resi- 
dences through the distinctly business portion of 
the street ; and each of them is set well back from 
the highway and fronted by green lawn, shaded by 



104 T.IODRESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

^oble trees and made more attractive by fio\vcr3 
and ornamental shrubbery ; while in some instances 
the houses are old mansions wit'i lustoric associa- 
tions gathering about them. J>jlo\v Church Road 
and above Chester avenue the street is almost 
^entirely given up to homes. 

As has been said, many of the dwelling houses 
•on this street are old homesteads and venerable 
structures, as that term goes in this country; and 
these afford fine examples o( the plain and solid 
imerits of old-time architecture. Many more are 
■modern buildings ; and some of these are handsome 
•specimens of the mere elaborate and ornamental 
styles of building that now prevail. The two types 
■combine well to make Moorestown the very beauti- 
ful and interesting place it is. 

Ivlany a rural town lias [),-etty streets. Indeed a 
village street with anyth ng like a fair op[)ortunity 
ds very su-e to make itself pretty and picturesque^ 
But one must journey long and far to see a village 
thorv^ughfare more beautiful than our Main street, 
-with its long lines of noble old shade trees, its 
Tanks of handsome and comfortable locking resi- 
dences and its charming glimpses of the lovely 
southern valley and the heights beyond. Even in 
winter its picturesque beauty does not depart from 
it, and in spring, summer and autumn it is lovely 
indeed. Perhaps the same degree of exciting activ- 
:itv does not characterize it now as in die old staee- 



STREETS AND RuaDS. IO5 

coach days, when the Mount Holly and Moores- 
town coaches rattled along its length, and the 
throngs of incoming and outgoing passengers 
hurried to and irom the stage offices; but there are 
animation and variety now — as much as comports 
with the pleasantness of a rural home-town, and 
enough to suggest the prosperous activity of the 
resident and surrounding community. 

It is the highway of the farmers and "truckers" 
between their homes and the city markets ; and in 
the recurring seasons processions of farm-wagons 
or "shelvings" pass along the street, drawn by 
teams of the fine horses that the people here pride 
themselves upon, and loaded high with hay or 
straw, or with baskets of glowing fruit and other 
farm products. Phaetons, buggies, family carriages, 
and not unfrequently the more conspicuous village 
cart, and tlu more elegant private turn-out add 
liveliness to the movement. People in the city 
liave learned that Moorestown is a very pleasant 
place, and that the road leading to it offers a goodly 
drive; and in addition to those who make pro- 
longed summer sojourns here, pleasurers drive out 
on occasions. The bicycler has discovered Moores- 
town also, and besides our own numerous wheel- 
men, many picturesquely costumed riders from Phil- 
adelphia make tours to this place and beyond. So 
there is no lack of variety to meet the demands of 
any reasonably moderate taste. 



10 J MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. * 

On the north of Main street, and also running 
lengthwise of the town, Second street extends from 
Chester avenue on the Eist to join the turnpike on 
the West, after it has tui-ned off in a northwesterly 
direction at the Forks. The two streets are not 
strictly parallel, being considerably closer together 
at the western portion of their course than at 
-Chester avenue. On this street are the Friends' 
High School building, the Public School building, 
the Friends' Greenlawn Cemetery, the churchyards 
of the Baptist and Episcopal churches, and two or 
three business places ; but for the most part the 
thoroughfare is devoted to residences. A large 
proportion of these are small in size and modest in 
appearance; although among them are some of 
larger proportions and more elal^orate modern con- 
struction. Nearly all give the idea of a quiet, cosy 
comfort; and almost without exception they are 
set a little back from the street, and are surrounded 
by moderately proportioned grounds, set with fruit 
trees, shru1:>l>2ry and flowers, while at the porch of 
nearly every house are climbing vines of one sort 
or another. 

Second sli-eet was laid out about forty years ago — 
at least thrit portion of it extending from Chester ave- 
nue to Church Road. It was not until several years, 
later that the street was opened through the re- 
mainder of its present course. It seems a curious 
thing to us present dwellers here, but way had to- 



STREETS AND ROADS. 



107 



be maJe for the new thoroughfare through the- 
woods by chopping down trees and grubbing up. 
stumps. Where the pretty homes of Second street 
now stand a thick forest then existed, which 
stretched fcir away to the northward. Men who 
are not now past middle-age tell stories of getting 
lost in the woods when they were school boys, and 
wandering for hours unable to find their way out. 
Of course it is an easy thing for a school boy — 
still more easy for two school boys together — to 
get lost in the woods on a pleasant autumn day, 
when they utilize the noon intermission for a little 
scout after nuts. But for those same school boys 
to go wandering about the woods for a considerable 
space after supper time, and then emerge on an 
obscure road half a mile to the north, with a neces- 
sary walk of a couple of miles still between them 
and supper, argues a degree of earnestness about 
the getting lost that is not quite consistent with 
*' hookey"; so we may accept the fact that the 
woods were dense and wide. 

North of Second street, and parallel to it, is Third 
street extending from East TJoorestown station to 
a considerable distance below the station at West 
Ivloorestown. Along a portion of this street is the 
railroad, but the railroad was an after-thought, and 
the street was a village thoroughfare many years 
before the iron horse adopted it as a race course,. 
Third street was laid out about the same time as 



J08 M00RE5T0WN, OLD AND NEW. 

Second street, and encountered just about tlie same 
difficulties in getting a start. The woods have re- 
ceded far enough from it now, but then the retreat 
had not been effected. 

The two railroad stations are on Third street; 
and at the southwestern corner of this street and 
Chester avenue stands the Chronicle Building, the 
nev7 and substantial brick structure in which 
Moorestown's one newspaper is published. Ware- 
houses and coal yards have place near the eastern 
and western stations on the street, and near the 
eastern end is a small building erected for manufac- 
turing purposes; but with these exceptions the 
thoroughfare has only dwelling houses upon it. 
They are principally upon the southern side, and 
there is a considerable portion of the street not yet 
built upon. Third street and the railroad form the 
Northern boundary of the older portion of the town. 

These three streets. Main, Second and Third, 
.running in a general way east and west, form wlnt 
might be called the warp of the older section of the 
Moorestown web. The transverse streets form the 
v/oof, and the resulting meshes are rather open, foi- 
the cross streets are a considerable distance apart. 
In the eastern portion of the town, just beyond the 
residence of Mr. Isaac Collins, the Mount Laurel 
Road leaves Main street at right angles, runs down 
.into the soiit1v.M-n valley anJ n -> the opposite hill, as 
.iiiiicii'^ht as a Ciovv's flight. Tiic loaJ is an old on?, 



STRl'-ETi AND ROADS. jOq: 

having been laid out as a public highway In 1761.. 
It originally formed part of a road running from 
the Delaware river to the ocean. It cannot be 
called a street, however, and is to be reckoned a 
part of Moorestown only as it forms a link of com- 
munication between here and somewhere else. Its 
value in that way is great, for it penetrates a rich 
and populous country. 

A little west of this a street starts beside the 
residence of Dr. Newlin Stokes and runs northward 
across th: railroad to Oak avenue in the northern 
part of tiie town. This is Chestnut street, and it is 
a broad and well located avenue. It was opened 
about 1870, at the urgent instance of some of the 
dwellers north of the railroad, who desired a con- 
nection with Main street in that vicinity. They 
carried their point, and now the street is about to 
be carried still further north to join Maple avenue^ 
a new thoroughfare to be opened in the northern 
part of the town. For some distance after leaving 
Main street Chestnut street is bordered on the West 
by the grounds belonging to the residence of Dr. 
Stokes, and on the East by a portion of an old 
farm. The northern part of the street is occupied 
by a goodly number of residences. 

A little farther west Schooley street, a short and 
narrow way, leaves Main street for the North, run- 
ning down beside the residence of the late Asa 
Schooley, and extending past the canning factory 



no LIOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

to the railroad. It makes but slight pretense to 
"beauty, but boasts a historic landmark as its starting 
point, the old Schooley house at its southeast cor- 
ner dating back beyond the Revolution,and having 
associated with it memories of that perturbed time. 
One of the most important of the cross-streets is 
Chester avenue, upon which the East Moorestown 
station is located. At a considerable distance west 
-of the Mount Laurel road this broad avenue leaves 
the Main street at right angles, and stretches away 
northward. At the head of the avenue, and facing 
it on the south side of Main street, are situated the 
two Meeting Houses of the Friends, the Academy 
and Library and the spacious and beautiful grounds 
•surrounding them. On the north side of Main 
street and extending along the western side of 
Chester avenue, from Main street to Second street, 
lies the Greenlawn Cemetery, more generally known 
as the Friends' Burying Ground. Its entrance is 
'On Chester avenue about midway between the two 
streets. At the northwestern corner of Chester 
avenue and Second street stands the handsome 
building of the Friends' High School, already 
^referred to. The grounds belonging to this extend 
for some distance along S-cond street, and origi- 
nally stretched along Chester Avenue to the rail- 
'Toad. Recently lots facing on Third street have 
been sold off the lower portion of the school 
•-.grounds, and their northern limit now falls that far 



SIRtEI-b AND ROADS. Ill 

south of the railroad. The Chronicle luiilJing, at 
the corner of Third street and Chester avenue, 
stands on one of these lots. 

The arrangement of these grounds results in the 
noticeable peculiarity that for two squares along 
the western side of this important street there are 
only two buildings, and neither of those is a resi- 
dence. The eastern side of the street, however, 
is fully built up, from George F. Doughten's store 
•on the Main street corner, to the East Moorestown 
station on the railroad ; and in this unbroken hne 
of dwelling houses there are some residences of 
noticeable beauty, while there is not one that does 
not suggest a home of pleasant comfort. The only 
interruption of the line is caused by a pleasant 
httle street known as Cherry street, which leaves 
the avenue at the side of Dr. Jayne's residence and 
runs a httle way eastward, stopping when it gets to 
Schooley street. 

Like Main street Chester avenue is part of an old 
road. So long as it stays in town it is a street, 
with its claims in that character fully recognized; 
as soon as it gets out of town it is a country road, 
leaving its town characteristics behind it like a 
man who has forsaken the cares of business for a 
holiday jaunt among the farms and all the pleasant 
distractions of rural experience. In both its char- 
acters it is a thoroughly agreeable and desirable 
acquaintance. It was laid out as a road in 1720, and 



I I 2 MOOllESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

when it is not Chester avenue is known as the 
Riverton Road, a finger board at the M lin street 
corner giving to the wayfarer n^ces^ary informa- 
tion as to the points reached by it aaJ the dis- 
tances thereto. 

The next cross-street west of Chester avenue — 
and a goodly distance from it — is Mill street. It 
leaves Main street by the residence of Mr. WiUiam 
Buzby, runs north and has been extended some 
distance beyond the raih'oad. It takes its name 
from Hopkins' (formerly Buzby's) steam grist mill, 
which sicUiJs on the western side of it between 
Main and Second streets. With the exception of the 
mill and a small shop the buildings on this street 
are all dwelling houses. 

Between Chester avenue and Mill street twO' 
alleys extend from Main street to Second. One is. 
Hames' alley, which leaves Main street by Brown's, 
.store ; and the other an alley running down by the 
Skating Rink. A short street passes from Second 
to Third by the residence of Mr. William Thomas, 
and is known as French's avenue. These threj 
narrow ways are the only means of passage north 
and south between the widely separated Chestei- 
avenue and Mill street. Efforts have been made iu- 
the past to have an adequate thoroughfare openjd, 
but they have come to naught. 

Another section of road forms the next cross- 
street west of J\K11 strjct. This is " Clui.-eh Uo.id," 



STREET;: AND IIOADJ.. ^ j -- 



a highway running from Marlton on the soiitli Ic 
Palmyra on the north. It takes its name as a street 
from the fact that the Episcopal Church stands on 
the northwestern corner of the intersection with 
Main street. Along the western side of the street 
the Episcopal church-yard extends from the churcli 
to Second street. At the northeastern corner of 
Second street the Public School building is located. 
its grounds extending some distance toward the 
railroad. On the southeastern corner stands a 
store, and the remainder of the street is occupied 
by dwellings, except at the railroad, where the West 
Moorestown station is placed west of the street, its- 
grounds, side track, freight building and platforms 
occupying space on both sides of the street. Lum- 
ber and coal yards and a warehouse also occupy 
grounds on this street near the station. Shortlv 
after crossing the railroad on the north, and shortlv 
after beginning the descent into the valley at the 
south, the street becomes a country road, and is 
known as the Marlton road and the Palmyra road, 
according to the direction spoken of In either 
direction it affords a pleasant drive — pleasant in it- 
self, and pleasant for what it leads to. 

The remaining cross streets below Church Road 
are Union street and Locust street. These both 
start at Main street and end not far below Third. 
Union street leaves Main with a decided north- 
eastern inclination, and at Third street there is only 



114 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. ' 

a short interval — the length of the station plat- 
form — between it and Church Road. Both Union 
and Locust are exclusively res i dene: streets, and 
both are decidedly pleasant streets to live upon, or 
to pass through. 

North, south, east and west, almost without ex- 
ception the roads leading c)ut of Moorestown lead 
into pleasant country regions which afford delightful 
driving opportunities. The road between here and 
Camden furnishes a drive v/hich is heartily appre- 
ciated by very many who are not residents of 
Moorestown. The same is true of the Haddonfield 
Road which leaves the Camden turnpike at the 
Forks of the Road, just west of the village. Going 
toward Mount Holly the greater part of the way is 
through a pleasant country, with village interrup- 
tions to vary the experience ; and in travelling either 
north or south one is sure, whatever road he 
chooses, of coming back the richer by an added 




Cjiapter XL 

Nor til of the Railroad. 

Y^EW elements promote new growth. If the 
) added materials are of a good sort and 
the soil is favorable the new grrowth 
will be strong and vigorous and will 
shape out tlie old tree to a better form 
•of comeliness than before. When the stock is 
strong and thrifty and well rooted in a generous 
soil, and the new scions engrafted upon it are of 
good variety, then all the conditions of the best 
growth prevail and the fruit of that tree will be 
something very desirable. After the railroad had 
taken its way through here the old Moorestown 
tree was budded with many new grafts, and the 
most conservative social horticulturist, viewing the 
■growth they have made, would readily pronounce 
that they were all good. 

The greater proportion of the dwellers here 
owned their homes in the pre-railroad times. 
Superfluous houses were few and the demand for 
them as temporary abodes not great. When a man 
•did want a house, as a general thing he built it; 
tanlcss he had the good fortune to inherit it, which 
("5) 



I l6 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

mode of acquiring property has been considerably 
in vogue here from very early times. Renters were 
not numerous, and the 25th of March was not 
nearly so much of a "movable" feast — or fast — as 
it has since become. Therefore the tenant class 
ca.ne in but slowly at first, not for \\'ant of desire, 
but for want of 'opportunity. Later, as property 
owners — always conservative — saw their way more 
clearly, more houses became available for those 
v/ho wished to rent, and the demand always at least 
equalled the supply. 

But here and there one of the old houses was 
off^^red for sale from time to time, and an outside 
purchaser learned of the chance and availed him- 
self of it. Again a would-be purchaser coveted a 
liome that was not offered for sale, made his bid 
and either got the place or bided his time until he 
could get it. Others who had made up their minds 
that they wanted to live her:: bought lots and built 
houses for themselves. So the new-comers in- 
creased in number and tjie old town increased its 
dimensions. It grew to the East and it grew to the 
West, and it filled up more compactly in the middle. 
Still there were more people who desired to come 
than the older portion of the place had accommoda- 
tions for. There must be more space or fewer peo- 
ple. Main street seemed to be the fixed boundary 
on the South, and the popiilation has not at any 
time broken over that bound and floAVjJ duwn into 



NORTH OF THE RAILROAD. 



117 



the valley to any extent. The North must be the 
direction of the new expansion, and so it came about 
that the region north of the railroad became a very 
important, populous and beautiful part of Moores- 
town. 

Beyond Third street and the railroad was the 
•country. Farms spread their acres close along the 
edge of the track, and were neighbored by other 
farms at the north. On both sides of Chester 
avenue they lay, and some of them were among the 
best to be found in this section. Some of the farm 
houses were venerable structures, possessing all the 
solid comfort and stability of old time architecture, 
•and with plenty of historic associations clinging 
about them, while the land belonging to them gave 
generous return for the labor expended in its culti- 
vation. 

The willingness of outside people to come to 
Moorestown was manifest, and it occurred to some 
-of the practical business men here that it would be 
a good thing to meet that willingness lialf way ; to 
provide good accommodations and then cordially 
invite people to come and dwell here. Some of the 
farming land north of the railroad could be made 
•available for charming village homes, and a careful 
consideration of the matter convinced some of these 
men that a good man}- of the acres over there 
would yield a better return as building lots tlian 
•they did in the production of market vegetables. 



Il3 I.IOJKF-Sl'uWN, OLD AND NEW. 

If the opportunity were offered purchasers would" 
undoubtedly come forward promptly, and be ready 
to pay such prices as would afford a good return 
for the money invested. This course of reasoning 
commended itself not only to some of the moneyed. 
men here, but also to some in Pliiladelphia who 
knew a good thing when they saw it. As a conse- 
quence the desired opportunity was offered to 
home-seekers; and the extent to which it was ac- 
cepted may be seen north of the railroad to-day. 

In 1864 a company was formed with a view to 
purchasing farm land north of the railroad opposite 
East Moorestown, and disposing of the same under- 
proper restrictions in lots of suitable size for build- 
ing upon. The company consisted of ten men. 
Half of them were Moorestown men, one was from- 
Rancocas, and the others were Philadelphians. The 
company they constituted was simply a partnership 
which expired with the completion of the particular 
enterprise for which it was formed. This enterprise- 
was distinctly understood and defined from the be- 
ginning. The parties knew just what they wanted. 
to do, and proceeded at once to do it. 

One of the very choice farms in the vicinity v/as 
the one at that time owned by Charles Collins. It 
was a property associated with the early history of 
the neighborhood and had always been rated as a 
most desirable possession. At the time now spoken 
of it was devoted to the culture of bei'ries and market 



NORTH OF THE RAlLRO.vU. I IQ' 

produce. It lay cast of Chester avenue and ex- 
tended from the southern boundary of Dr. John H. 
Stokes' farm — where Oak avenue now is — to the 
raih-oad, comprising within its boundaries forty-eiglit 
and a half acres. It was this farm that the newly 
formed company contemplated purchasing and lay- 
ing out into building lots. 

Immediately upon its organization the company 
appointed Dr. John H. Stokes, one of the ten partners, 
trustee with authority to buy and sell in accordance 
with the agreement entered into. The trustee at 
once purchased for the company, from Charles 
Collins, the farm just mentioned, paying for it the 
sum of ;$20,ooo. The purchase effected, the worl: 
of apportionment was at once begun. The ground 
was laid out in lots and two streets — Central and 
Oak avenues — were opened east and v/est through 
the property. Then each member of the company 
selected and purchased a lot, under an agreement 
to build cr cause to be built within a reasonable 
time upon the grounds he had purchased, a dwelling 
house to cost not less than ^5,000. This part of 
the agreement was not rigidly enforced, as some of 
the houses erected cost rather less than the specified 
sum. The purchaser of the old homestead — at 
present the residence of Mr. O. B. Morris — was 
exempted from this provision, of course. There 
were other restrictions and conditions by which 
each purchaser \v.is bound. Nothing objectionable 



120 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEV/. 

was to be placed or permitted on the ground pur- 
chased ; and the term " objectionable" was so con- 
strued as to cover slaughter houses, liquor saloons, 
stores, shops, etc. A specially emphatic injunction 
was placed upon pig styes. 

After these selections and purchases had been 
made the remainder of the ground was divided 
among the members of the company, each member 
becoming an individual proprietor, holding in his 
own name the title to his share of building lots to 
be disposed of according to his own desire or 
opportunity. With this final division the company 
completed the purpose for which it was formed and 
the partnership was dissolved. Sales of lots by the 
individual owners were effected more or less rapidly, 
the same conditions attaching to the sales as in the 
first instances ; except perhaps as to the cost of the 
house to be erected. 

Such was the genesis of the ''Company Grounds" 
— the wholly undescriptive name by which this por- 
tion of Moorestown is known to this day. The enter- 
prise has been dealt with somewhat in detail because 
it was the first premeditated and comprehensive in- 
vitation to outsiders to make Moorestown their abid- 
ing place. The manner in which the invitation was 
responded to has led to others being extended in later 
years. Some time since a portion of the farm of the 
late Dr. John II. Stokes, also east of Chester avenue, 
and adjoiniiv^ the original ''Company Ground" on 



:;oRr;i oy tiik railroad. j-,t 

the north was placed in the market. Oak avenue 
borders the new extension on the south, and a new 
street called Maple avenue, running eastward from 
Chester avenue, has also been laid out throu^-h the 
property, north of Oak. The Stiles farm, on the 
west of Chester avenue, has also been purchased 
laid off in lots and offered for sale. This is the old 
Middleton farm, whereon Nathan Middleton buried 
his valuables when he saw the British troops comino- 
in Revolutionary days. The property passed from 
the Middleton family to Amos Stiles and from the 
Stiles family to its present owners. 

On both of these properties lots are being dis- 
posed of quite rapidly, and new homes are being- 
created. The greater portion of the original "Com- 
pany Ground" was long since disposed of, and the 
vacancies that still exist there are now fast disap- 
pearing. At the tirrie this is Avritten a building epi- 
demic is prevalent in force north of the railroad. 
New houses are going up, and others are in con- 
templation ; the indications all point to the increase 
of this constructive disposition rather than its 
abatement. Truly the invitations extended have 
been heartily accepted ; and there is manifestly no 
danger that any future proffers of hospitality will be 
rejected. 

What has been accomplished in the past has 
made North Moorestown a very important and 
notable factor in the present experience and future 



122 MOORESTOWN, VIA) AXU NEW. 

progress of the village. A wholly modem addition' 
to tiic old town has been developed there. The 
only old houses in the section are the old fiirm 
homesteads that still remain as mementoes of the 
historic past; and even in the case of tliese the re- 
sults of modern taste have been combined with the 
picturesque effects of the olden time so that old and 
new are blended in a thoroughly pleasing manner. 
Moreover the district is devoted exclusively tO' 
dwellings and their appurtances. No stores, shops 
or business places of any kind exist in North 
Moorestown. Inconvenient? The people there 
do not find it so; for the store-keepers send their 
order-and delivery-wagons everywhere; the butch- 
er and the baker call at every house, and so would 
the candle-stick maker if there were any desire for 
his services. Furthermore many of the residents 
there have their own horses and carriages and find 
a drive into the old part of the town no inconveni- 
ence; and at the worst a walk to the Main street is 
by no means a formidable undertaking. 

A large quarter devoted exclusively to modern 
residences is something of an innovation for a rural 
town with a couple of centuries behind it. That it 
is an innovation that gives an added charm to an 
already charming place only a walk through North 
Moorestown is needed to demonstrate. There are 
two streets running north and south through this 
section. One is Chester avenue, which crosses the 



NORTH or THE RMLROAD. I 23; 

railroad by the East Moorestown station and re- 
mains Chester avenue for a goodly distance before 
it becomes the rural Riverton Road. Some distance 
east of this is Chestnut street, which leaves Main 
street by the residence of Dr. N. N. Stokes and ex- 
tends through the original "Company Ground," and 
the newly opened tract north of it. Intersecting 
these Central avenue takes its v/ay east and west 
some distance north of the railroad. Still further 
north Oak avenue runs parallel with Central, and 
marks the boundary of the original purchase. 
Beyond this Maple avenue is laid out through the 
Stokes' tract, and runs to an intersection with 
Chestnut street. 

On these various thoroughfares arc ranged beau- 
tiful homes in the utmost variety of modern design 
and construction. Many of them are elaborate and 
costly structures, in the building of which the- 
resources of recent architecture have been freely 
drawn upon. Within they are supplied with all the 
conveniences and luxuries available for rural homes, 
and without they are fittingly surrounded by lawns 
and shrubbery. Others are small and simple 
homes, and between these two types are very many 
of differing grades of architectural importance ; but 
all share one characteristic in common— they are 
set back in their own grounds, large or small, and 
are surrounded by greensward and various sorts of 
ornamental in-y\vth. And nearly everywhere there- 



.12.^ 



i.IOORF.STOWX, OLD AND NKV/ 



:wc trees. Th ^y border tli: streets and beautify tiie 
private LjrouaJs. About some of the newer homes 
tiie trees are small as }-eL, but they are there and 
give good promise of future shade. Even in the 
case of these same newer homes in many instances 
tliere are fine old trees that antedate by long years 
the survey of the lots on which the homes are built ; 
and in the older places there Is a plentiful supply of 
the shade and the beaut}' that only large trees can 
give. Take it all in all, it is a very important and a 
rapidly Increasing part of I^IooresLown that lies 
north of the railroad. 



CnAPrr.K XII. 
Rcii<sioh's Bodies. 



'c> 



T is accepted as an axiom that the community 
which freely supports churches gives but scant 
custom to jails and penitentiaries. Gauged by 
^^ this standard Moorestown takes an enviable 
rank ; for not many places of its size have within 
their borders a greater number of buildings dedi- 
cated to religious worsliip. There are five reli- 
gious denominations represented here — the Friends, 
Episcopalians, Baptists, Alethodists and Roman 
Catholics. Of the Friends both branches arc 
largely represented ; and of the T^Iethodists there 
are three bodies — the ^Methodist Episcopal, the 
Methodist Protestant and the African Metliodist. 
Each of these eight religious bodies has its own 
house of worship, and each of them numbers a 
goodly membership. 

The Friends. — Philadelphia, in the beginning of 
its history, was not more pre-eminendy a P>iends' 
settlement than was Moorestown. The first title- 
holders were Friends, and it is probable that even 
before the title-holders made their first purchases 
those who came less formally to possess the land 
were largely of that denomination. Very early in 
^ (1-25) 



'126 RIOORFoTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

the history of the place property was taken up and 
apphcd to the use and benefit of the Friends as a 
body for rehgious purposes. 

But before that was done the Friends of the 
vicinity had their stated worship, making the best 
of circumstances as they existed. The Meeting at 
Burlln^-ton authorized those Friends Hvino- in the 
Penisauken neicrhborhood to hold meetinsjs in the 
houses of members until such time as a regular 
place of meeting could be secured. Therefore the 
members of the body met and worshipped at each 
other's houses according to appointment. So also 
of the Friends in the Rancocas settlement — the 
various dwelling houses were meeting houses in 
turn. Of course it was desirable that this condi- 
tion of affairs should be changed as soon as it 
could be accomplished, and a settled place of wor- 
ship substituted for the various and incommodious 
meeting places then in use. Moorestown possessed 
tthe most advantages for such a permanent location 
.as was desired. It was convenient for the worship- 
pers in both the settlements, and was a growing 
settlement itself In Moorestown, accordingly, (it 
was not Moorestown then, however.) the Meeting 
House was established. 

In the Secretary's office at Burlington is recorded 
iR deed of conveyance by James and Hester Adams 
to John Hollinshead, Thomas Hutton and ten other 
*Friend^, of whom Sarah, widow of John Roberts, 



r RELIGIOUS BODIES. 127 

was one — the only instance of a woman actino- as 
trustee for real estate in the Friends' Society — 
"for one acre of ground on which the Quakers' 
Meeting House was then standing, for the sum of 
fourteen shillings current lawful money of the Prov- 
ince of West New Jersey ; dated 9 day of 2 month, 
■coirn<:>nly called April, 1700." Land was cheap in 
those days, and one can hardly help thinking re- 
gretfully of the tim: when one acre of gr-ound in 
what is now the h:art of Mjorestown was sold for 
fourteen shillings. 

In the Secretary's offi:e at Trenton is recorded 
.another deed of conveyance by Joseph Heritage 
'(grandson of Jo3ep:i Heritage v/ho survived all the 
•other grantees named in the deed of i/oo) to John 
Warrington, Joshua Hunt, Hugh Cowperthwaite, 
Robert French, Edmund HoUinshead and William 
Roberts, Trustees appointed by Chester Preparative 
Meeting as successors of the original grantees, " in 
order to continue the good uses for and to which the 
said acre of ground was and is appropriated, as well 
..as for and in consideration of five shilling hard money 
to him in hand paid. Dated 15 day of 5 month, 
1782." 

This acre of ground lies at the corner of Main 
.street and Chester avenue, adjoining the William 
Penn Hotel, and forms a part of the Greenlawn 
Cemetery, or Friends' burying ground. The meet- 
ing house that v/as "then standing" on it was a log 



I 28 MOOUKSiOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

SLniclurc, small, but large enough for the rcquire- 
rnciits of the time. An old citizen who lives near 
Aloorerestown, in looking over some ancient deeds 
and records some time since discovered a roughly 
executed draft of this ground as it vvas then ar- 
ranged. This draft showed the meeting house 
suinding in the southeastern corner of the lot, next 
Chester a\-enue and facing Main street. Extending 
westward from the meeting house, tovvard the hotel, 
was a wagon shed under which the vehicles of the 
worshippei's were ranged on meeting days ; and at 
the end of this, still nearer the hotel, a smaller shed 
for the saddle horses on which some of the young- 
men — and young women too — rode to meeting. 

In this old meeting house worship was conducted 
for a number of years, the Friends of the Penisauken 
and Rancocas regions m'inghng there with the 
Friends resident in Moorestown. For those who 
had to ride long distances the fervor of devotion 
was tried sharply sometimes, for the journey then 
meant far different things to what it would mean 
now. But the test showed strength, not weakness. 
The hearts of the settlers were in their worship, and 
they felt they paid but lightly for their privileges 
of conscience. 

In the year 1720 the old log meeting house was 
burned down in some unexplained manner, and the 
calamity was sorely felt by the society. For a time 
they were again without a suitable meeting place, 



REr.lGK, JS BODIES. X2Cf 

nnd had to hold meetiiicrs once more in dwelliofT 
houses. However this was only for a htile interval. 
They had their ground now to build upon, and 
plenty of energy to repair the loss they had sus- 
tained. They at once began the work of rebuilding, 
and the new meeting house, when completed, was 
a good deal more substantial and commodious than 
the old. A portion of it was of stone, and the 
building altogether was held to be a credit to the 
society and to the place. It ansv/ered the purpose 
of the worshippers for over eighty years. Popula- 
tion in the meantime increased, and the building 
which had afforded accommodation in 1720 had 
been outgrown by the end of the century. 

On the 27th day of 12th month 1781, Ephraim 
and Hannah Haines, for the sum of ninety-six 
pounds, five shillings and seven pence, gold and 
silver, conveyed to Joshua Roberts, Jacob Hollins- 
head, Jonas Cattle and John Collins, Elders and 
Overseers of the Society or Congregation of Friends 
b'c'ionging to Chester Meeting in the township of 
Chester, two acres, three roods and tu-enty-three 
perches of land, lying southeast of a line beginning 
at a stone near Isaac Lippincott's — formerly Gilbert 
Page's and running north, 79° 45' east, 5 chains 
and 26 links to a stone corner of Joseph Lippincott's 
lot; "to be applied to such use or uses as the body 
of Friends belonging to the abi , ^ aani-r^d meeting 
shall think proper." 



X^Q MO(3RE5TOWN, OLD AN«D NEW. 

This piircliase was on the south side of Tvlain 
street, opposite the head of Chester avenue, and 
hither in the course of time the Friends removed, 
there to remain until the present time. In looking 
over the ground selected one cannot but admire the 
taste and judgment that guided the men v.dio 
decided on the location, for no lovelier spot can be 
iound in the entire region than that whereon the 
Friends' Meeting Houses are situated. A broad 
'lawn, beautifully shaded by noble trees, slopes 
southward into the valley, and from almost any 
■point commands a view of surpassing loveliness. 
True the first choice was theirs, but it required 
discrimination to make such a choice as they 
mide. 

In i8d2 the large brick meeting house which nov/ 
stands in the eastern portion of this enclosure was 
completed and the Friends occupied it as a place of 
worship, forsaking the little building across the way 
which had served them so long. The new building 
was of v/as of proportions beyond the needs of the 
society as it existed then ; but the future was wisely 
kept in view, and time vindicated the good judg- 
ment exercised. In after years it proved none too 
large. The old building, they had heretofore ocni- 
pied was torn down and the stone from it used in 
the construction of a school house in the meeting 
house enclosure across the street. After its removal 
.the lot in which it had stood was devoted c-cclu- 



'RELIGIOUS BODIES. I3I 

■sively to the purpose of a burying ground, which 
'use it still senses. 

The ground purchased from Ephraim and Han- 
nah Haines affords space for two Friends' meeting 
houses. The frame building on the western side 
of the lot w^as erected in 1829, soon after the 
division in the society. It was built by the mem- 
bers of the original society as their meeting place, 
and is still occupied by them. The separatists took 
the brick building as their meeting house, and it is 
still their place of worship. It is larger than the 
newer building, and the other branch of the society 
freely use it for their meetings on all extra occasios. 
A good state of feeling exists between the members 
of the two branches, and they are very harmonious 
neighbors. 

In addition to the ground devoted to the burial 
of their own dead it is recorded that, on the 
1 0th day of 2d month, in the year 1770, Ephraim 
Haines sold and conveyed to Joshua Roberts and 
Edmund Hollinshead, for the Chester Meeting, one 
rood or one quarter of an acre of land, and in 1784 
Joshua Roberts, who survived Edmund Hollins- 
head, did, "in consideration of the sum of five 
shillings hard money to him in hand paid, and in 
order to continue the good uses for and to which 
the said rood of ground is appropriated — viz. for 
the purpose of a burying place for strangers and 
other Christian people who do not belong to the 



132 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

Society of Friends (otherwise called Quakers), and 
for no other use whatever" — convey the same to 
John Warrington and other Friends, agreeable to a 
declaration of trust to be executed by them. This lot 
was located where the southeastern corner of Ches- 
ter and Oak avenues now is. It served the Chris- 
tian purpose for which the society purchased it for 
many years; and at length, in 182 1, the trustees of 
Chester Meeting conveyed the lot to the inhabitants 
of Chester. The township in turn con\'eyed it to 
Dr. John H. Stokes in 1870, 

Episcopalians. — As has been said, the Friends- 
were the principal and controlling religious ele- 
ment, here as in all other parts of West New Jersey, 
when settlements began to be made, far outnum- 
bering the members of all other religious denomi- 
nations. But they did not constitute the whole of 
the new population. The first Friends who arrived 
were accompanied by other adventurous souls who 
did not belong to the society of Friends. Some of 
these came as servants in company with their em- 
ployers, and others came independently, for the 
betterment of their own fortunes, for the love of 
change and adventure, or from regard to the ties 
of friendship and affection which differences of 
religious faith had not weakened. Here as well as 
elsewhere in the new land the greater proportion of 
these were members of the Church of England. So, 
in the new home as in the old, tlie two forms of faith 



RELIGIOUS r,()DIE3. I ^^ -i 

were established side by side, only here their rela- 
tive positions were reversed. 

From the very first the population of Moorestown 
numbered Episcopalians among its elements. They 
were not numerous enough, however, to organize a 
parish of their own, and for a time they, like the 
Friends and the members of other denominations, 
were without a stated place of authorized worship. 
With them as with the Friends, this was a serious 
deprivation, and as early as might be the condition 
of affairs was remedied. This was not effected so 
-early as with the Friends ; and when it was effected 
the result was not so satisfactory as in their case. 
The members of the Episcopal Church were widely 
scattered in the little settlement and the surround- 
ing country, and the concentration of the sparse 
^membership at any one point was a difficult matter. 

At a very early date, however, the difficulty v/as 
•overcome in a measure. St. Mary's Episcopal 
•Church was established at Colestown. Just when 
this was effected cannot now be ascertained, but it 
is known that St. Mary's is a very venerable church. 
In fact there are only two churches in New Jersey 
that are older, and I believe only one church build- 
ing that is older than that now standing in Coles- 
town. Services can be traced back with certainty 
in this old church to 1753, and although the record 
stops there, it is certain that services had been held 
in the church for some time previous to that date. 



1 34 MOW :< Ks t( ) w x , ( ) 1 , 1 J AM) X i-:\v. 

It was important enougli to win favor with Q^ueen^ 
Anne, and she presented to the parish a commun- 
ion service which is still in use. 

Of this old church Episcopalians in Moorestown 
and the vicinity became members, and there they 
used to gather from all directions for worship. It 
was a long ride for many of them, but weather and 
distance and bad roads did not daunt them any 
more than their Quaker neighbors. Through fair 
weather and foul, through mud and through dust,. 
the Episcopalians of Moorestown drove to Coles- 
town to church every Sunday, year after year. The 
\\;hole family went, including the grand parent and 
the little child, and not forgetting the servant or the 
apprentice. Those who had no conveyance of their- 
own were carried to church in the vehicles of their 
more fortunate neighbors; or if the more fortunate 
neighbor did not come along in time, walking was 
a resource ahvays at command. Whatever the 
method of transit they got there ; and many are 
those who new recall their participation in one or 
the other of the two regular processions — onegoing- 
from Moorestown to Church in Colestown, and the 
other coming from the intermediate region to 
Meeting in Moorestown. 

As time passed on St. Mary's became more and 
more of a Moorestown parish. The membership 
here attained greater and greater proportions as 
compared with the membership within the limits of 



RELIGIOUS UjDiEo. 



135^ 



the parish Itself, until at length the pfoeession' 
which drove along- the Haddonfieicl road comprised 
the greater share of the worshippers in fh'e" old 
church. This state of affairs became more' ih\C 
more unsatisfactory. The distance between Moorcv- 
town and Colestown had not increased, but the 
aggregate of the inconvenience of having to travel 
that distance every^ Sunday was greater, because 
there were more people who suffered it, and to each 
one it seemed worse than when there were fevv-. 
The journey always had been a trouble, endured 
because there had been no help for it. Now, people 
began to feel that there was help for it, and be- 
stirred themselves to bring matters to a more satis- 
factory adjustment. The obvious thing to do was 
to establish a separate parish here. 

This, in the course of time, was accomplished, 
and Trinity Parish was formed in Moorestown. A 
lot of ground, situated on the north side of Main 
street and the west side of Church road, and ex- 
tendinfj north to Second street, was sriven to the 
parish by Mr. Ehvood Harris, on which to erect a 
church building and parsonage. Mr. Harris also 
contributed ;$500 towards building the church. 
The corner stone of the new church was laid on 
October 2d, 1837, and the Rev. Samuel Starr, in an 
address made at that time, said : " For several of 
the last years past, as you will all testify from your 
cxoerieuce of inconvenience, the congregation has 



1^6 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEVv', 

not only been in scattered locations, but all whose 
interest and influence can at all be depended upon 
are at a very inconvenient distance from the church. 
So remote, too, are the children of the congregation 
that they cannot be gathered with any success for 
their profit in Sunday school, or even for the recita- 
of their catechism. Besides, the Church of Christ 
is aggressive in its character, and if the members 
are faithful will everywhere be aggressive in its 
results." His address concluded as follows : "When 
your course on earth is about to terminate, and 
your day of worship here below is fading into the 
light of eternity, you will rejoice in the reflection, 
as you take a final farewell of the walls here to be 
reared and consecrated to the service ot the Lord, 
that you have provided on this spot one of the 
choicest legacies that you can leave to your 
posterity." 

Th 2 building erected was of stone, and is a very 
satisfictory specimen of church arcliitccture. It 
fronts toward the Main street, with a side porch on 
Church Road. As it stands to-day with its walls 
hung thick with ivy it forms one of the beautiful 
•features of the village picture. The church was 
rapidly completed, and was consecrated by Bishop 
Doane on March 2d, 1S38. The building of the 
church as it first stood cost ;$4,020.26. From the 
minutes, which have been very exactly kept from 
the first, it would seem that the churcii p.iid ofrtlie 



RELIGIOUS r,>)I)!KS. 



^2,7 



debt of the buildincr, and then <jot into debt aeain 



't>' 



for a parsonage; afterwards again for Improving 
and enlarging the church. Never, until the first of 
April, 1878 was the church without its task of 
raising something of the interest and principal of 
the debt thus incurred. Now there is no burden 
of debt upon it, and the church property has a value 
of over ;$ 1 5,000. The parsonage is a good sized 
frame residence just west of the church and like it 
fronting on Main street. Back of the church the 
church yard — always kept in the most scrupulous 
order — stretches to Second street. 

The first Rector of the new church was Rev. 
Francis Lee, whose term of Rectorship included 
the years 1837 and 1838. His successor was Rev. 
Henry Burroughs, who remained through 1839 and 
1 840. From 1 840 to the close of 1 845 Rev. Andrew 
Bell Patterson was Rector, and during his term here 
the rectory was built. During the years 1846 and 
1847 Rev. Thomas L. Franklin was Rector, and 
for the two years succeeding there seems to have 
been no Rector. From 1850 to the end of 1853 
Rev, Samuel Randall held the office, and during a 
part of 1854 there v/as a vacancy again. In July 
1854 Rev. H. Hastings Weld took charge and con- 
tinued here until Jan ist, 1870. During his Rector- 
ship the church was thoroughly renovated, new 
pews and new^ windows put in, robing and organ 
room built and the orofan removed from the .--.rallcr'.' 



138 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

to the side of the chancel, and thirteen fjct added 
to the church, all at a cost of $600. R:v. Samuel 
Ralph Asbuiy took charge in the latter part of 
1871, and continued until the summer of 1S73. 
On December ist, 1873, Rev. De Witt C. Loup 
took charge and remained until the 1st of April, 
1878, when the present Rector, Rev. J. H. Lamb, 
took charge of the parish. 

During the eight years that the present incum- 
bent has been here about ;$23,ooo liave been raised 
for various church purposes, and in i SS5 the church 
was enlarged and materially improved, sixty-four 
new sittings were added, and the accommodations 
are now adequate. The cost of the last improve- 
ment was about ;^2,ooo. 

For two years and six months after the formation 
of this parish it was connected with St. Paul's, 
Camden; but in March, 1840, it was agreed to dis- 
solve this connection and let each church stand 
alone. The parish still retains a connection with 
the Colestown parish, and the Rector holds a ser- 
vice there once every month. The first Wardens 
of Trinity parish were Dr. J. J. Spencer and Samuel 
Rudderow; and among the first V^estrymen were 
George F. Doughten, the late John C. Haines and 
the late Samuel Jones. 

Baptists. — Members of the Baptist denomination 
were not among the earliest settlers here, or if they 
were they were very few in number. That church 



I 



RELIGIOUS L0DIE3. joq,, 

seems not to have had many adherents in the com- 
munity until after the present century was well 
advanced, and for a time the growth were slow and 
the results of labor bestowed were far from encour- 
aging. That labor was earnest and persistent, 
however, and eventually the seed that had been so 
hopefully planted and so patiently and diligently 
nurtured grew, flourished and bore fruit. 

It appears that the earliest l^aptist preaching in 
Moorestown was in the year 1810. In that year 
and the two years subsequent to it there was 
preaching here at intervals by a number of young 
ministers who were under the instruction of Rev^ 
William Slaughter, D. D., then pastor of the Sansoin 
street Baptist Church of Philadelpliia. During 
those years these young men went out from time 
to time into the villages in the vicinity of Phila- 
delphia to preach, and several of them preached 
here on different occasions. Among those early 
preachers were some who afterwards attained dis- 
tinction. Of the names recalled are those of Rev 
Daniel Sharp, D. D., for many years pastor of the 
Charles street Baptist Church, Boston ; and Rev.. 
G. Summers, pastor of the South Baptist Church 
in New York city for a long term of years. 

There was no place of public worship here con- 
trolled by the Baptists at that time, and when the 
ministers of that denomination visited the })lace 
they preached at the house of Mr. Edward Harris — 



I 40 MOOKKSlUWN, OLD AND NKW. 

tlie old Smith mansion of Revolutionary times. 
Mr. Harris, an Englishman by birth, was a member 
of the Church of England, but his liberal hospitality 
led him to open wide his doors to the members of 
all religious denominations, and he perhaps ex- 
tended a more cordial welcome to members of the 
Baptist Church than to any other outside of his 
own denomination, for his wife was a Baptist and a 
member of a prominent Ba; ^tist family. Mrs. Harris 
was a daughter of the Rev. Thomas Ustick, A. M., 
for many years pastor of the first Ba])tist Church 
in Philadelphia. She was an invalid for a number 
•of years and died in 1810; and it is not probable 
that any public services were held in her husband's 
liouse until after that time. 

The connection of Mr. Harris with this distin- 
guished Baptist family, together with the pleasant 
welcome always to be found at his house, rendered 
the visits of Baptist ministers to Moorestown more 
frequent than they otherwise would have been. 
The young men under Dr. Slaughter's instruction 
w^ere not by any means the only ministers who 
pre^vched in the Harris mansion. Among those 
who held services there were Rev. Mr. Barton, of 
the Welsh Tract Church, Delaware ; Rev. Mr. Cox, 
of Ohio; Rev. James McLaughlin, of Burlington; 
Rev. Luther Rice, one of the first missionaries from 
America to the heathen ; Jonathan D. Price, M. D., 
also :i missionar\^; and Rev. Mr. Lawson and wife, 



RELIGIOUS nODIES. I4Y 

T'jio-lish missionaries, on their was to the East 
Indies. In 1813. '14 and '15, during the second 
war with Great Britain, Rev. John Sisty, then re- 
siding in Mount Holly, visited Moorestown at 
intervals and preached at largely attended meetings. 
■ After the death of Mr. Harris, which took place 
in 1822, the visits of Baptist ministers here were 
less frequent than before, and there was preaching 
only at long intervals. In the meantime a church 
building itad been erected by the Methodists on 
grounds given to the society by Mr. Harris. The 
donation had been accompanied by the conditioi^ 
that the house should be free for the use of all 
evangelical ministers, and in this church such 
Baptist ministers as occasionally visited the place 
preached their sermons. At this time there were 
probably not more than one or tv/o persons in the 
place who belonged to the Baptist denomination, 
and these were members of the Haddonfield church. 
In November, 1835, upon invitation of Miss 
Miriam Shinn, one of the Baptists resident here,, 
Rev. Peter Powell, of Burlington, visited Moores- 
lown and preached in the town hall. Afterwards 
he continued to visit the place at intervals for a 
time; but in February, 1836, he lost a valuable 
horse in the snow and his visits ceased. In the 
year 1835, during the Christmas holidays, Daniel 
Kelsey and John L. dinger, two young ministers 
stud3-ing at Burlington, came here on a missionary 



'143 



MOOXESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 



visiL They preached two sermons in the town 
hall, and as a result of their labors four persons 
were converted who afterward became constituent 
members of the church here. These were Thomas 
Venable, William Smith, Samuel Wisham and his 
wife; After this preaching- became more frequent 
and several conversions took place. The towm hall 
■could not be had for night meetings after a few 
times, and services were held at private houses. 

The ordinance of baptism was first administered 
in this vicinity on the 8th of May, 1836, the candi- 
date being Amanda Mayland. After this baptisms 
became quite numerous ; preaching services were 
held with more or less regularity; prayer meetings 
were held at various houses, and conference meetings 
took place. Those who were baptized became 
^members of the Haddonheld church; but in 1837 
■^the membership here had so largely increased that 
it was determined to establish an independent Bap- 
tist Church in Moorestown. The separation from 
the Haddonfield church took place and on the 7th 
of May, 1837, a council met at the town hall here 
for the purpose of recognizing the newly formed 
body as an independent church. A large congreo-a- 
tion assembled on the occasion, the sermon bein^^- 
preached by Rev. Samuel Aaron. 

The constituent members of the new church vv-ere 
.Benjamin Jones, M:-irtha Jones, Moses Hammel, 



RELIGI0U3 BODIES. 



H3 



Jcriislia Hammel, S. Wisham, Elizabeth Wisham, 
William Smith, Hannah Smith. Thomas Venable, 
Sarah Venable, Isaac Shinn, /.my Shinn, Charles 
Kain, ]r., John F. English, Charles Clements, Jolm 
Mickileton, Charles T. Peacock, Samuel Foster, 
Margaret D. Vanderveer, Hannah Walker, Ann 
Creely, Ann Gill, Elizabeth Wright, Ruth Davis, 
Hope Pippett, Mary A. Parnett, Maria Cannon, 
Rebecca Ann Gifford, Amand Maylan, Lydia Ann 
Wooley and Margaret Wells, from the Haddonfield 
church ; and Miriam Shinn and Ann Perkins from 
the Evesham church. Arrangements had been 
made ^vith J. M. Courtney, a student at Burlington, 
by which preaching was had regularly every Sun- 
day from January ist, 1837, the salary at first, after 
the constitution of the church, being ^^300. This 
was subseauently increased to ^350, by the addition 
of ^50 appropriated by the State Convention, 

The new church was received into the New Jer- 
sey Baptist Association September 26th, 1837. 
The same year-it was decided to erect a house of 
worship in Moorestown, and soon after the decision 
v/as made the contracts for the vv'ork were entered 
into. The material selected was stone, and the size 
of the building was to be 40 feet by 45 feet. A 
building lot had been purchased of William Dough- 
ten for ;$500. It is on the Main street below Mill 
street, nearly opposite the old Harris mansion in 
which the first Baptist services in Moorestown had 



144 r.IOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

been held, and extends back to Second street. The- 
building fronts directly upon Main street, with na 
intervening yard, and the ground back of it consti- 
tutes the grave yard belonging to the church. 

In the spring, after the beginning of the work a. 
fire destroyed the carpenter shop in which the 
lumber for the church was being prepared, and the- 
church thereby suffered a loss of some ^250. The 
v/ork was soon resumed, however, and the building 
v/as completed in due time at a total cost, for ground 
and building, of about ^^4,000. Those who directed. 
the building, being inexperienced in such matters, 
felt that althoucrh a basement could not be afforded,, 
a cellar must be constructed. So on moonlight 
nights the brethren assembled and dug the cellar 
themselves. A few years later a portion of the 
cellar was finished as a basement, which has been 
in use ever since for Sunday school and prayer 
meeting purposes. 

The house was dedicated on Friday, August loth, 
1838, the sermon being preached by Rev. Samuel 
Cornelius. On Thursday, November 15th, 1838, 
Rev. John M. Courtney was ordained pastor of the 
Church to receive a salary of .^300. In 1840 he 
became joint pastor of the Moorestown and Marlton 
churches, receiving from each church a salary of 
^225. The succession of pastors in the church since 
its beginning has been as follows : Rev. J. M. Court- 
ney, 1837 — 1841; Rev. J. W. W'igg, 1842;, Rev- 



riELIGIOUS BODIES. 



14^ 



£. Sexton, 1843— 1844; Rev. J. M. Challls, 1845— 
1851; Rev. E.D.Feadall, 1852— 1864; Rev. Miller 
Jones, 1864—1867; Rev. J. E. Bradley, 1869 — 
1872; Rev. J. H. Brittain, 1873— 1882; Rev. E. 
McMinn, from January ist, 1883 to the present 
time. 

During Mr. Fendall's pastorate a baptistery VvMs 
built in the rear of the meeting house, and some 
other improvements were made. The church debt 
was entirely extinguished also, but in after years a 
new indebtedness was incurred, and a deb" of about 
;^2,ooo now rests upon the church. A very memor- 
able historical sermon was preached by Mr. Kendall 
during his stay here, and from it most of the facts 
here given relating to the early history of the 
church have been obtained. Under the ministra- 
tions of the present pastor the membership of the 
church has been increased, a new organ has been pro- 
cured, various improvements added to the building 
and about $500 of the debt paid off. 

The present membership of the church is about 
two hundred and fifty. There are, besides the 
home school, three mission schools, one at Fellow- 
ship, one at Mount Laurel and another at Hartford. 
The average attendance at all the schools is about 
two hundred and fifty. Evan B. Brown is superin- 
tendent of the Sunday school, and William Mort- 
land is clerk of the society. E. B. Brown, William 
Mortland and Georg^e W. Heaton are the deacons. 



1^5 iMOORKSlOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

of the church. The value of tlie church property 
is about ;^ 15,000. This does not include a parson- 
age as there is none belonging to the church. Tlic 
present pastor owns the house he lives in, as di i 
his immediate predecessor. 

M. E. Church.— The Methodists, like the Bap- 
tists, did not have many, if any representatives 
'imong the original white population, and tlie 
denomination does not appear to have obtained a 
foothold in the place until about the beginning of 
the present century. At that time the Itinerants 
v/ere diligently at work' in this section of the country, 
and some of their work was done here with appre- 
ciable results. An interest was awakened in the 
minds of some, and eventually the interest became 
more and more wide-spread. There are no records 
and therefore the Ivinowledge of the beginnings and 
the progress of the denominational work here is 
very meagre. Who were the early workers here ; 
who were among the first to feel the effects of their 
preaching ; what progress was made in the work ; 
what discouragements were encoL.ntered — all tliose 
points in the process of the development of Method-* 
ism here are things that are not known and cannot 
be known. 

According to the most authentic traditions tlu^ 
first class in Moorestown was formed some little 
time previous to 18 18.- Probibly it was a few years 
before that date, but how Ions: is not known. We 



RELIGIOUS BODIES. jAy 

•only know that in 1818 D-acon Brock was class 
leader here, and th- supposition is that the class 
Miad been established some time before. It is 
known, also, that Micajah Dobbins was an exhorter 
in the Methodist Church here in 1 820, and that in 
1825 J^'^nies Moore was one of the leaders. Among 
the early members of the church were James Moore, 
Esther Moore, Rhoda Conover, Micajah Dobbins, 
Caleb Fennimore, Lydia Fenaimore, William D. 
Brock, Mrs. Brock, Hannah Garwood and William 
■Crispin. 

When the original Methodist meeting house was 
-erected here is not definitely known. It was some- 
time before 1820, and was after the formation of the 
class. As nearly as can be ascertained it was about 
1 81 5. This appears to have been the first house of 
worship built in the place after the Friends' Meet- 
ing house was erected, and the interval between 
ithem was a long one. The Methodist house stood 
on the south side of I\Iain street by the large white 
oak tree still growing in the sidewalk on the line 
between the grounds of Dr. Thornton's residence 
and that of the Misses 3.1atlack. The sfround for 
the church was given to the society by Mr. Edward 
Harris on the condition that the church be free for 
the use of all evangelical ministers, of whatever 
denomination. The condition was accepted, and 
'On the ground was erected a plain brick building of 
■moderate sizj, without bell-tower or spire. It is 



148 '^^ MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

recollected that while the church was buildincf a- 
great storm visited this region and the gable end of 
the unfinished structure was blown down. The 
work was at once resumed, however, and the struc- 
ture completed. Under the condition mentioned 
ministers of diffjrent denominations preached in 
the church from time to time, but it was distinctl)^ 
the Methodist Church. 

Eventually the question of building a new church 
was agitated, and was the occasion of a good deal 
of discussion and pronounced difference of opinion, 
some of the members maintaining that the old 
building was ample for the needs of the congrega- 
tion, and others as strongly urging that a more 
commodious house of worship was needed. These 
latter carried the day, and the wqw church was 
built. In the meantime Mr. Harris had sold to 
Mr. William Buzby the property in front of which 
the old church stood. The old meeting house was- 
torn down about 1867, and the lot on which it had 
stood was also sold to Mr. Buzby. He subse- 
quently sold a portion of his purchase, including 
the church lot to the Matlack heirs, and a house, 
now occupied by the Misses Matlack, was built 
upon the place. 

The building now occupied :is a house of worship 
was erected by the Methodist society in i85[. It 
is a brick structure, standing on the north side o\ 
Main street, about midway between Chester avemu 



RELIGIOUS IJUDIE- 



149 



•and Mill street. A parsonage was also built back 
-of the church. It is a frame building, fronting on 
Second street, and is a very pleasantly located 
residence. At present it is not occupied as a par- 
sonage, but is rented ; and the pastor, Rev. Andrew 
Gather, has rooms in another house, his family 
remaining at their own home in Virginia. 

A full list of the preachers who have served here 
during all the years since the establishment of the 
•church it would be impossible to obtain. Among 
the names recalled are those of the Revs. .Street, 
White, Maddock, Sunderlin, Bartram, Chattain, 
Whitecar, DuQ:an and Lavelle. It was in the earlv 
part of the present decade that the differences which 
had for some time existed in the conq^reo^ation re- 
suited in a permanent division of the society. The 
trouble culminated in 1883, but it had its origin at 
an earlier period than that. For a considerable 
time there had been a want of harmony among the 
members. The first causes of the difference are 
■obscure, and seem to have been unimportant in 
themselves. As is the wont in such cases, however, 
the little matter became a considerable fire, and 
■slight differences grew into a serious disagreement 
In 1882 the breach between the two church parties 
widened materially. The pastor recognized one 
:party as being more nearly right in his estimation 
.than the other, and thereby alienated the sym- 
pathies of the opposing party from himself. 



1^0 mooresto'nvn, old and new. 

Thus he was fully identified with one side of the 
quarrel, and was looked upon by those on the other 
side as the representative of their opponents. At 
the end of his term two opposing influences were 
brought to bear from the Moorestown church upon 
the Conference — one urgin^^ the return of the same 
pastor for another term and the other urging just 
as strongly that another pastor be sent. The first 
influence prevailed and and the pastor was returned. 
The party he represented in the church v/as ardent 
in his support and the opposition was equally 
strenuous. The opposing party claimed to consti- 
tute the society proper, and asserted the right to 
control the property of the church, including the 
church building. The doors of the church were 
locked against the pastor and his adherents, and an 
appeal was made to the courts, with the result that 
the doors v/ere ordered to be opened. This was 
clone; but the outcome of the unhappy difference 
was a permanent disruption of the congregation, 
the disaffected members withdrawing in a body in. 
the spring of 1883. 

The present value of the M. E. Church property 
here is about $I2,00D. The membership at present 
is about 45. Wilson chapel, at Wilson Station is 
a preaching station for the pastor connected with 
this church. The Sunday School here numbers 
about 75 scholars at present, a considerable in- 



P^MGIOUS BODIES. iq| 

crease witiv- the past year. The Wilson Statlox-i 
school, connected with this, is also well attended. 
M. P. Church. — The Methodist Protestant 
Church here came into existence as the result o- 
the trouble in the Methodist Episcopal body. After 
the action of the Conference in March, 1883,- be- 
came known the protesting members of the 0I& 
body, about fifty in number, gave formal notice of 
withdrawal. Their intention was fully carried out 
a little later, and they declared themselves outside 
of the eld clrurch. Some time was spent in deciding 
what subsequent course to pursue. Some were in 
favor of distributing themselves among the other 
churches in the place, according to individual pref"- 
erence. This idea did not meet with much favor, 
however, the general feeling being that they should 
form a distinct body of worshippers, and not sacri- 
fice their identity. Frequent meetings were held 
for consultation, and at lenc^th the su^^crestion wa> 
made to attach themselves to the Methodist Protes- 
trnt Church. The suggestion was favorably con- 
sidered and a committee of inquiry was appointed. 
The committee proceeded without delay to maice 
the necessary investigations. The President of the 
M. P. Conference was consulted with, and the ex- 
planations inclined the inquirers still more strongly 
tovv^ard the proposed connection. The President 
urged a fuller and more prolonged consideration of 



1^2 r.IOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

the matter, however, and himself visited Moores- 
town several times and participated in the the 
meetings held to consider the question. 

Finally it was fully decided that the seceding- 
members of the M. E. Church here should unite 
v/ith 1..C Methodist Protestant organization, and on 
May 24, 1883, the M. P. Church of Moorestown 
was formed, twenty-three constituent members sign- 
ing the register. The newly formed church a^'rs 
recognized by the Conference, and Rev. J. H. Algor, 
from the Mount Pleasant Circuit, Atlantic county, 
N. J., was assigned to the charge. A unanimous 
request from the Mt. Pleasant church that Mr. 
Algor be sent back there was over-ruled by t]ic 
Conference, and the new pastor took up his resi- 
dence and assumed his duties here on the 24th of 
October, 1883. Here he has remained ever since, 
at the unanimous request of his congregation. 

No time was lost in making necessary arrange- 
ments for a house of worship, and in the mean time. 
the town hall was made to serve as a temporary 
meeting house. Regular services were held there 
twice every Sunday, and the children of the con- 
gregation as regularly gathered into the Sunday 
school there. The lot selected for tlie church 
building Vv'as situated on the north side of Main 
street, a little east of Union street. It belonged 
to the estate of David Ileaton, and was occupiec 
by an old blacksmith and wheelwright shop. Thif 



RELIGIOUS BODIES. 



153 



was purchased for ;^2,ooo, and the erection of the 
building was begun October 29th, 1883. A neat 
brick building 37x58 feet in size was constructed, 
with audience room, lecture room and capacious 
storage cellar. The lecture room was finished and 
opened for service March 12th, 1884, and in it 
since that date, the services of the churcli have 
been held. The audience room proper is not yet 
quite completed. The spire of the new church 
building bears the only " town clock" in the place. 
At the time of its formation, in the spring of 
1883, the church, as has been stated, numbered 
twenty-three members. Each year has shown a 
marked increase in the membership, and now there 
.are seventy-four names on the roll. The present 
Board of Trustees consists of B. J. Sutton, Michael 
Dubel, George Knell, Jr., A. M. Risdon, George 
Maines, W. E. Jones, F. M. Johnson. The Sunday 
school was organized June 22d, 1883, with a mem- 
bership of twenty-three, including both teachers and 
scholars. At present the scholars alone number 
one hundred and sixty-five, and with the officers 
and teachers the nuiriber belongmg to the school 
amounts to one hundred and eighty-three. The 
pastor is the Supei-in'cnclent, with J. Edwin Baker 
as Assistant Superintendent. The library of the 
school is well selected, and numbei-s three hundred 
and l]iirt\'-seven x'olumes. to wWc.i a considerable 

T'.): '"-resent value 



154 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

of the church property is estimated at $S,000 on 
which there is still some debt resting. 

A. M. E. Church. — The colored Methodists o\ 
Moorcstown and vicinity have not long been in; 
possession of a house of worship. Formerly they 
were mcnibers of the Mount Laurel Church, and 
attended service there. The walk to Mount Laurel 
and back eveiy Sunday was a tax on the strength 
and fervor of the worshippers that thcy (elt severely ;; 
and at length they decided that the inconvenience 
of going so far from home to attend service was too 
great. The result of this decision Vv'as the forma- 
tion of the A. M. E. Church of ?,Iooresto\vn. The- 
organization of the church was effected several 
years ago, and measures were taken soon afterward 
to secure a church building. Such progress was 
made in the raising of funds that they were enabled 
to buy the necessary ground, and a lot was pur- 
chased on the west side of Church Road, a short 
distance north of the railroad. 

Li process of time such additional funds were 
raised as seemed to warrant the beginning of build- 
ing operations, and accordingly a plan for the 
church building was decided upon, and the founda- 
tion of the structure was completed. But there the 
Vv'ork stopped, and it seemed as though it had stop- 
ped permanently. For a long time the foundation 
was the only part of the projected building that had 
come into existence, and efforts to accomplish more 



RZfJGTOUS B0DIE3. I^^; 

seemed all in vain. In. the meantime the members 
held services in each other's houses and hoped 
against hope for the time when they would have a 
special building devoted to that purpose. 

After a considerable time of fruitless endeavor it 
became manifest that to succeed some new method 
mnist be adopted, and it v/as urged that some white 
men be added to the Board of Trustees. This sug- 
gestion was acted upon, and Mr. Gilbert Aitken 
and Dr. Joseph Stokes v.-ere invited to become 
members of the I)oard. They both accepted the 
invitation and entered cordially upon the work be- 
fore them. Under the united eftbrts of the new 
and the old members of the Board matters speedily- 
took an encouraging turn, and in a short time such 
progress had been made that building operations 
could be resumed. 

The first meeting of the Board as a joint com- 
mittee on the building of the church, after the addi- 
tion of the white members, was held at the house 
of Daniel Fountain, on July 7, 1883. At that time 
Rev. Geo. M. Witten was pastor, and remained in 
charge until the church was built. The enterprise 
v/as pushed forvv-ard Vv'ith vigor; contributions came 
in more and more liberally, and a good degree of 
enthusiasm was awakened v/here a short time before 
there had been only discouragement. 

The corner stone was laid May ist, 1S84, and 
the church was completed and opened for v.'orship 



il^6 rniRRsrowN, old and new. 

"the same year. The building is a small but very 
neat frame structure, surmounted by a cupola. 
The seating capacity of the church is about two 
liundred. The value of the church property at 
present is about ^i,ooo. The present pastor is 
Rev. Isaac Accoe, who also has charge of thj 
churches at Mount Holly and IMount Laurel. 
The Board of Trustees as at present organized con- 
sists of Gilbert Aitken and Dr. Joseph Stolces 
(white) and George Ambrose, James H. Bowers 
• and Daniel Fountain (colored). The present mem- 
ibership is about fifty, although the attendance at 
Sunday services is much greater than that. Tiie 
■Sunday School is quite largely attended, and much 
interest is taken in its progress and welfare. 

Roman Catholic Church. — The Catholics of 
Moorestown, as of New Jersey generally, originally 
belonged in the Diocese of Philadelphia. Event- 
ually New Jersey was created a Diocese by itself, 
known as the Diocese of Newark, of wliich l^ishop 
Daley, afterw^ards Archbishop of Baltimore, VvMS the 
first Bishop. At that time the Catholic Church at 
Fellowship was the nearest church to Moorestovv^n, 
and the Catholics of this town and vicinity went 
there to worship. It was a formidable journe_\-, and 
the inconvenience of it was seriously felt by the 
worshippers here. The Fellowship church wa-^ a 
niissioncr, attached to a cliurch in Camden, and 
niinistered to by a priest from that city. 



RELIGIOUS BODIES. ; I > 



?/ 



In tiic spring of 1867 the church at Fellowship 
Wcis destroyed by an accidental fire, and the neces- 
sity for supp]}MnL^ another house of worship led to 
the consideration of a more convenient location for 
it. By this time Moorestown and its neighborhood 
supplied the majority of the members; moreover 
I^kloorestown was a much larger place than Fellow- 
ship, was directly on the railroad and was altogether 
a more suitable place for the church than the old 
location. It was determined, therefore, that the 
new building: be erected in Moorestown, and that 
it should be a church fully suited to the needs of 
the worshippers. 

At the time the Fellowship church was destroyed 
it v.-as under the charge of Rev. Father Burns, of 
the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Camden, 
and it is to his zeal and energy that the Catholics 
of ]\Ioorestown owe the beautiful building in which 
they now worship. A lot on the south side of 
Main street, a short distance above Church Road, 
was purchased from William H. Haines, and on it 
in the summer of 1867, the present building was 
erected. It is a handsome building of brick, set 
well back from the road, and surrounded by well 
shaded grounds. It has a seating capacity of 
about 350. 

The Moorestown church continued as a mission 
ittached to a Ca-mden parish for several years, 
.^bout the year 1874 it was detached from Camden> 



is; 



T,IO0KRSlHr,V:J, (II, I) AND NE\V. 



?.nd became attached to Mount Holly. Rev. 
Father Hugh McManus, of Mount Holly, took 
charcre and held services here twice a month. In 

o 

March, 1880, this was made a separate parish, and 
the present pastor, Rev. Father James McKernan 
took charge of it. The present membership of the 
church is between 500 and 600. The parish is of 
considerable extent, and the members are scattered 
over quite a v/ide region. Owing to this fact the 
attendance at Sunday School is a matter of difficulty 
to many, and of impossibility to some, and therefore 
the school is not so large as it would otherwise be. 
The attendance of children at the school is about 
sixty. 

Since Father McKernan's residence here he has 
added considerably to the property of the parish. 
He has purchased the present parochial residence 
adjoining the church, and added another lot to the 
property. The present value of the property is 
about ;^ 14,000, on which there is some debt still 
remaining. The debt is being rapidly reduced, 
however. 




ClIArTER XIII. 

TJic Schools. 

?^!%5R0M its earliest days I\Ioores'cOv;ii has 
been a good place for schools. Whether 
a school master was among the first squat- 
ters on the ridge I do not know ; but if 
not he made his appearance here very 
soon afterwards, and has staid here ever since. 
About the first thing those old pioneers wanted, 
after they had secured a shelter for their families 
and a place to hold religious services, was a school 
house for their children. They seem always to 
have had a teacher at hand to occupy the school 
house as soon as it v;as ready; and the teacher, 
from that day to this, has never lacked for full em- 
ployment, for the earnest attention bestowed ow 
cuu rational interests in the beginning has never 
been relaxed. 

Tlie fu-st schools, like the first places of worship, 
were provided by the Friends. Among the mem- 
bers of that society who were the first comers here 
were people of higher education and larger attain- 
ments than ordinary, and they were sufficient in 
number and influence to give a flavor of culture to 
(159) 



l60 MOOR KSl OWN, OLD AND NtW. 

even the rude elements of a pioneer settlement. 
Their successors liave always had among them a 
sufficient representation of their class to retain in 
the community that flavor in its full strength, and 
a large element of the population here has, from the 
first, been characterized by a goodly degree of lit- 
erary cultivation and taste, and of scholarly attain- 
ments. So, although quiet and undemonstrative 
about it, Moorestown has taken a just pride in the 
educational position it has always occupied. That 
kind of pride is a very good thing, and the state of 
affairs that inspires it is a still better thing. 

A community dominated by such an influence 
must have schools, and they must be good ones, 
and good schools Moorestown has always had, 
and has to-day. But in the matter of the early 
schools, as in other of their early enterprises, our 
old time predecessors did not take much pains to 
let us know what they did, which of them did it, 
or when, where and how it was done. They were 
as far as possible from sharing the sentiments of 
the traditional statesman who protested : " I don't 
believe in doing so much for posterity. What has 
posterity ever done for us ?" They did much for 
posterity, and did it bravely and lovingly ; but they 
didn't tell posterity anything about it. Conse- 
quently we know almost notlii ng as to where the 
first schools were established, or the names of those 
identified with them. 



THE SCHOOLS. l6l 

The schools were the result of private effort, 
undoubtedly, and were little neighborhood enter- 
prises, established in the houses of those who 
taught them. The first of which we have any 
account — but that does not imply that it was the 
earliest school — was kept in a log house near the 
forks of the Penisauken Creek. Emanuel Beagary 
lived in the house and taiight the school for several 
years, and afterwards became Assessor of the town- 
ship. If the children of Moorestown had to attend 
Friend Beagary's school they undoubtedly found 
the hill of learning a toilsome and oftentimes a 
muddy one to climb. But they had schools nearer 
home very soon, if not at first ; for there are a num- 
ber of old houses now standing here in which 
schools are reported to have been kept in very 
early days. One of the old schools was kept in the 
house now occupied by the Roberts sisters on the 
south side of Main street, nearly opposite the site 
of the old tan-yard where Moore's hotel is su^:)posed 
to have been located. A store had Lj„ii Iccpt in, 
the building, and when it was moved to other 
quarters the house was occupied for school pur- 
poses. Ezra Roberts and Darling Lippincott kept 
a boarding and day school there for a number oi 
years, A building not now '^mi '. -^ i'li only 
recently removed is said to have been used for 
school purposes, possibly at a still earlier period 
than the Roberts-Lippincott school just mentioned 



l62 MOORKSTOWi;, OLD AND NE\7. 

This was the olJ frame house forinerly owned by 
James Sankey and used by him as a cabinet shop 
until it was torn down to make room for the 
present Bank b-uilding. 

Besides these and other schools kept in dwelling 
houses in early times there were others, here and 
hereabouts, kept in buildings specially devoted to 
that purpose. A frame s-chool house stood on the 
old Ferry road, near its junction with the Salem 
road, in which a neighborhood school was kept 
until 1784. There was also a frame school house 
at Fairview, at the junction of the present Haddon- 
iield road with the old Salem road, in which a 
school was kept until 1781. It is known that a 
brick school house had long been standing on the 
ground purchased by the Friends from Job and 
Anna Cowperthwaite in 1784, near the residence of 
George Matlack. Coming down to later times, a 
frame school house was erected in 1829 on the lot 
north of Second street and west of Chester avenue, 
which v/as in use until i88o, when it was taken 
down. About 1835 a ^rame school house was built 
on the north side of Second street and the east side 
of Church Road. It was used as a neighborhood 
school uiiitil 1873, when it was removed. 

The educational methods that prevailed of old 
difTered m more than one material respect from 
those now in force. The course of study pursued 
-was less coaiprehensive, "the three R's" consti- 



THE SCHOOLS. 1-63 

tilting-, in many cases, the bulk of the currlculuni. 
As a consequence while the hours of school were 
about the same as now, the hours of study were 
Tnaterially less — whether to the advantage or dis- 
-advantage of the pupil is a question which still 
causes some discussion occasionally. Under the 
old method, too, the pupil came into closer contact 
with the personality of the teacher, and did not feel 
the system drawn so closely about him. If the 
teacher were of the right kind the system was pretty 
sure to be of the right kind, too ; and if otherwise, 
otherwise. If the teacher was changed the system 
was very certain to be changed also ; and so 
the pupils, by the time they stopped "going to 
•school," had generally tested a variety of educational 
methods. 

But in one particular every system of teaching 
•closely resembled every other one. Different 
teachers might hold radically conflicting views as 
to the proper manner of holding the pen, of working- 
out a " sum" or of the correct attitude in class ; but 
they all had very much the same way of whipping 
a scholar who did not properly '*toe the mark." 
There are plenty of people now among us who, 
when they recall some of the experiences incident 
to their close personal contact with the teachers of 
their childhood, and contrast them with the exper- 
iences of their grandchildren in schools from which 
the rod is banished, feel a shuddering conviction 



164 MO0RE3T0WN, OLD AND NEW. 

that they were born too soon and missed their full 
share of good luck. Some of them on the other 
hand, insist that a judicious admixture of good 
thick switches with the present educational diet 
would be a good thing for all concerned. It would 
emphasize and enforce the teacher's authority, they 
argue, and so would enable him more effectually 
to keep young feet from straying into vicious ways, 
and thereby benefit the community at large. 

Whether right or wrong this used to be the gen- 
erally accepted idea, and the old school discipline 
included the whip as naturally as the spelling book.^ 
Some of the incidents related of those old times 
would make the school boy of to-day think twice 
very carefully before deciding upon his course of 
conduct if he thought his teacher was likely to copy 
very closely after the old masters. It is related, for 
example, that a boy at one of the schools who had 
a bad habit of bullying the smaller boys was 
brought to book one day for bullying one little fel- 
low in quite too serious a fashion. He threw a 
piece of wood at the small boy in play spell (they 
did not have any " recess" at that time), and the 
missile struclv the child on the forehead, inflicting a 
wound from which -the blood flowed in a stream. 
The master was informed of what had taken place 
and ordered the offender to stay after school for a 
little conv.Ms ilion. vSchool was dismissed at the 
usual tinij and al.njst the first one outside of the 



THE SCHOOLS 



i6s 



room was the boy who had been told to stay inside. 
At the instant of dismissal he had jumped for the 
•door and got safely out. But the master, whip in 
hand, jumped almost as quickly. He overtook the 
fugitive at the gate of the yard seized him by the 
•collar and then and there administered such effective 
chastisement that the boy's shoes had blood in 
them when he finally started for home. Nor was it 
the boys alone who smarted under the hot infliction. 
No strained notions of chivalry were allowed to 
interfere with the welfare of the girls, and they 
received their whippings on occasion, as impartially 
■as the boys. 

The Friends, as has been said, were the leaders 
in educational enterprise here; and the schools 
were not left to depend on individual effort. The 
Society took organized action at an early day to 
secure good schools and place them on a permanent 
basis. It is recorded that on the 27th day of 12th 
month, 1781, Ephraim and Hannah Haines, for the 
sum of 96 pounds, 5 shillings and 7 pence, gold 
and silver, conveyed to Joshua Roberts, Jacob Hol- 
linshead, Jonas Cattle and John Collins, elders and 
overseers of Chester Preparative Meeting, 2 acres, 
3 roods and 23 perches of land, lying southeast of 
a line beginning at a stone near Isaac Lippincott's 
- — formerly Gilbert Page's residence — and running 
north and east to a stone corner of Joseph Lippin- 
•cott's lot; "to be aoiolied to such use or uses as the 



, 1 65 MOORE* TOWN, OLD AXD NEW. 

body of Friends belonging- to the above named' 
meeting shall think proper." One of these uses 
v/as the establishment of a school which is still 
prospering there. 

In 1784, 8th month, 3ISL. Friends of Chester 
Meeting bought of Job and Anna Cowp^rthwaite, 
"for one shilling hard money," one acre and one rood 
of ground near the residence of George Matlack. It 
is probable that the first school established here- 
abouts by the Friends as a Society was established 
on this ground. A brick school house had been 
placed on the premises, and in this a school was 
opened on the 6th day of 12th month, 1785. In 
the same year or the year following a stone school 
house was erected on the lot bought of Ephraim 
and Hannah Haines; and in 1786 the Friends of 
Chester Meeting appointed their first committee to 
have the oversight of the education of their children. 

A committee was appointed by the Chester Meet- 
ing In I2th month, 1788 to visit and have the over- 
sight of a school kept by Abraham Warrington in 
or near Westfield (as is supposed), and Joseph War- 
rington, Thomas Lippincott, Samuel Lippincottand 
Samuel Shute were requested to continue the care 
over this school for the next year. Thus far the 
work done had been determined by the occasion as 
it arose; but in 12th month 1790 the Monthly 
Meeting of the Friends of Evesham (of which Ches- 
ter Preparative Meeting was a constituent) took into, 



THE SCHOOLS, 1 6/ 

coiisitl:ra!:io:i the promoting and raism;^- of^ fands 
for schools; also a uniform plan for the settlement 
of schools in proper places, and the appointment of 
Trustees to have supz^rvision of the same. 

The Friends of Chester Preparative Meeting in' 
7th month 1 79 1 2^urchased of Samuel Shule, for 
6 pounds, hard money, one acre and on: perch of 
land where Weslfield brick school house nov: 
stands. An ancient log house, brought from the 
neighborhood of Peter Stimms' and Henry War- 
rington's residences on Penisauken Creek, was 
standing on the place, and was located for a time a 
short distance southeast of the entrances to the 
premises of Nathaniel N. Stokes and William Parry. 
Shortly after the purchase this old log structure 
was removed, and for several years afterwards v/a? 
used as a sheep cote by the father of William and 
Israel Lippincott. The log building was replaced 
on the recently purchased ground by a permanent: 
stone school house, which for several }'ears Vv'cnt 
under the name of Chester Lovv'er School House. 
For some time, by permission, meeting ^ for D;vine 
v/orship were held in it, but from the first it was a 
school house and notliing else. 

Six years later, in 3d month, 1797, the Friends 
of Chester Meeting bought of Thomas and Abigail 
Lippincott, for 122 pounds and 12 shillings, hard 
money, 15 acres of land lying west of the Burling- 
ton Road, not far from the school house lot just 



l58 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

mentioned, ''for the sole use of Friends in the com- 
pass of Chester Lower School ; which is to be under 
the management of Friends, members of Chester 
Preparative Meeting, aforesaid." Coming back 
now to j^.Ioorestown proper the Friends of Chester 
Meeting, on the 17th of 2d month 1795 purchased 
of Nathan Meriiage and wife, for 179 pounds, 6 
shillings and 3 pence, "hard money," 5 acres, 3 
roods and 39 perches of land; one acre and one 
rood of it to be "for the sole use of the society of 
people called Quakers for a grave yard to bury 
their dead; and for such other religious purposes 
as the said people in their said Preparative Meeting 
shall direct and appoint the same to. The balance 
of said lot, or other described lot therein contained, 
for the sole use of Friend's School at Mo presto wn, 
under the direction of the Trustees of said school, 
appointed by the Preparative Meeting at Chester 
aforesaid, for the purp^^2 of building a dwelling 
house thereon for the residence of the teacher, or 
such other use or uses as the said people in their 
said Preparative Meeting House by their Trustees 
shall direct and appropriate the same to." It will 
be observed that real estate had advanced in price 
since the purchase from James and Hester Adams 
— which this last adjoined — was made for fourteen 
shillings in 1703. It would seem that the " dwelling 
liouse for the residence of the teach ::r" Vv^as not 
erected on this lot; but a school house was, and it 



THE SCllOOJ.^, iO; 

staid llicrc until replaced by a bcLler one in rece.nt 
years. 

The organized work of the Friends' society in the 
cause of education, the early progress of which has 
iust been briefly traced, has never been relaxed. 
On the contrary more active efforts have been put 
forth as the needs of the time seemed to demand 
them, and their educational work to-day touches 
the high water mark of progress in that direction. 
Their schools have been kept fully abreast of the 
advancing time, and are a source of just pride. 
While they have been making this progress as a 
society, and while the community at large has been 
watchfully working in behalf of public instruction, 
there have been private efforts put forth in behalf 
of a higher and broader education than was attain- 
able in the smaller private and neighborhood schools 
mentioned earlier in this chapter. 

For many years a boarding school for young- 
ladies, was maintained by Mrs. Mary Lippincott, 
and was an institution of such recognized high char- 
acter that it added not a little to the reputation and 
educational importance of the place. The school 
v/as established in 1843 in the Lippincott mansion, a 
very old building which stood at the eastern 
extremity of the town, where the Fair Ground 
Avenue improvement is now in progress. Mrs. 
Lippincott was a woman of high culture and great 
<^.'nterprise. She had had much experience in teach- 



170 



M0!JREST0V/N, OLD AND NEW. 



ing young ladies, and when she decided to open a 
school in her own house she brought to the work 
a ripe ability and an established reputation. These, 
and her great executive talent insured for her enter- 
prise a large degree of success. She had pupils 
from near and far, including man}^ from Philadel- 
phia ; and a goodly p."oportion of the extra travel on 
tJie old stige coach Hncs Saturday nights and Mon- 
day mornings consisted of " Mrs. Lippincott's girls'' 
p-oincT liomc and returninGT to scliool. 

The |)roprictress and principal v/as assisted in her 
work by an able corps of teachers, and the course 
of study included all the branches essential to the 
liigher standard of feivialc education. Psloreover 
the school was delightfully located, and the pupils, 
aside from their first-cla^s educational advantages, 
enjoyed those of a remarkably pleasant and health- 
ful country home. The regoin all about them was 
exceptionally beautiful ; and in addition to that was 
historically interesting. One of the favorite walks 
of the pupils was to a spot knoAvn as the Indian 
Spring, some distance south of the school. This 
was a very abundant spring of clear water, which 
was said to have very pronounced mineral qualities, 
and was very interesting from the tradition that it 
had been a favorite Indian camping, place. The 
spring itself had been very carefully attended to by 
its dusky proprietors, and was still in those days in 
the >i:<nic condition as they had kept it. Then too» 



THE SCHOG|[.3. j^j 

there Was always the exciting chance of finding 
some specially choice Indian relic in the neighbor- 
hood ; and many were the stone arrow heads the 
young ladies took back home with them as trophies 
of their visits to Indian Spi-ing. 

For a number of years after her husband's death 
Mrs. Lippincott continued her boarding school with 
eminent success ; and when she finally relinquished 
it she was not quite ready yet to give up teaching 
altogether, and for some years longer she kept 
a day school for boys and girls in her house. In 
1883, three years ago, after forty years of constant 
labor, she abandoned teaching entirely, and since 
that time to the present summer, the old homestead 
that was formerly so full of young life has stood 
unoccupied. Mrs. Lippincott herself is now living 
at a very advanced age in Camden. 

Rev. H. Hastings Weld, v/ho was Rector of the 
Protestant Episcopal Church here from 1854 to 
1870, taught a school in the rectory daring a part 
of that time. Both male and female pupils were 
received in this school, and Vv-ere well instructed in 
higher and more numeious brandies than were 
taught in the district scliool. Mr. Weld was a very 
successful teacher, and those now among us who 
were his pupils bear loving testimony to the happy 
manner in which he made school days pleasant as 
well as profitable. During a part of the time his 
daughter also had a private school for smaller 



172 



MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 



scliolars, conducted on the same principles and 
with the same aims as her father's. 

We come now to the consideration of the Moores- 
town schools as they are to-day. These are three 
in number — the Public School and the two high 
.grade schools under the control of the two branches 
of the Friends' Society, known as the Friends' 
Academy and the Friends' High School. All three 
'Of these institutions occupy ground that is more or 
less historic, and all are the outgrowth of very old 
schools. In each instance the advanced modern 
development had its beginnings in the early educa- 
tional efforts of the community. 

The Public School. — The public school house 
stands on the north-eastern corner of Second street 
and Church Road, the lot it occupies extending 
a considerable distance along both streets, and 
■affording ample room for the children's play ground. 
The ground had been previously occupied for sev- 
eral years by a school house ; and the school house 
which occupied it had, for many other years, occu- 
pied another lot in the immediate vicinity. This 
old school house was a frame structure, and in the 
beginning of its career stood on the opposite side 
of Second street, very near the spot now occupied 
by Gilbert Aitken's store and cabinet shop. There, 
with the woods all about it, it for many years served 
its purpose as a neighborhood school. Then it 
•was moved across the street to the lot now occu- 



THE SCHOOLS. 173 

pied by the public school house, and staid there 
until it was removed to make way for its more 
modern successor. 

The old frame school house was occupied, in 
the course of its history, by a goodly number of 
teachers whose names are well remembered by 
many of the citizens whose young ideas they taught 
how to shoot. A full list of these names cannot 
be given, but among the teachers were Edward 
Allen, Thomas Blackwood, Moses Hamill, and 
his daughter Miss Eliza Hamill, John Stiles, John 
Curry, Charles Vanscivcr, Jeremiah Haines, two 
sisters of Charles Vansc.vcr, Miss Sallie Borton 
and Miss Flora Roberts. 

Moses Hamill taught in the winter term, as did 
mo^t of the other male teachers, and his daughter 
taught the summer school. Years ago in most 
country and village districts a winter school was 
held to be beyond the governing powers of a 
woman, on account of the number of " big boys" 
who came to school winters and had to work sum- 
mers, and who, according to the theory of the time, 
could only be kept in order by a strong arm 
wieldino- an effective rod. The idea survived until 

o 

quite recent years ; so the summer schools were 
reserved, for the most part for female teachers. 

Thomas Blackwood, one of the teachers men- 
tioned, showed, in his career, the adaptability to 
ciicumslanccs and the command of resources which 



] -r/ MO! )K i;- 1 nWX, OI.IJ ANi^ ...,\\ 

arc recognized as American characteristics. He 
was a cabinet maker, employed by the late Samuel 
Jones. In the course of his shop-work he met with 
an accident which disabled one of his hands to 
such an extent as to interfere seriously with manual 
work. Therefore he turned to the employment 
which, half a generation ago, was the resource of a 
great proportion of men who wanted to bridge a 
chasm — school teacliing. He took charge of the 
west Second street .school ; but not as a finality. 
In the intervals of leisure permitted by his new 
occupation he studied medicine, with the result 
that when he gave up teaching he entered upon 
practise as a physician. He is still in the practise 
of his profession in Camden. 

The old school was in a manner the " district 
school" of the place. It was not a free school but 
was partly supported by taxation, with small sums 
paid by the parents for the tuition of their children. 
The school depended on the efforts of a single 
teacher, but on the other hand the course of study 
was less comprehensive and complicated than in 
the graded schools of to-day, so that one person 
-was eaual to all the demands upon his time and 
resources, and was quite equal to meet the require- 
ments of the "ABC class" and the class in the 
*' double rule of three" in the same half day, and 
through an indefinite number of half days. 

In 1873, the lot on which the old school house 



THE SCHOOLS. 



175 



■stood having been purchased for a public school, 
the old frame structure took leave of its boys and 
girls, and the place which had known it knew it 
no more. It was not destroyed, but was re-estab- 
lished on old familiar ground. Mr. Andrew Aitken 
purchased it and moved it across Second street to 
very nearly the same site it had occupied in the 
first place, and to-day, disguised in paint and em- 
bellished with modern additions, it does duty as a 
part of the building in which Mr. Gilbert Aitken 
has his furniture store. The old teachers' desk 
before which, through a long, long term of years, 
trembling urchins stood to give an account of 
youthful misdeeds, is also on duty in Mr. Aitken's 
shop at the present time. The last teacher in the 
old frame building was Miss Hannah Garwood, 
who is still a teacher in this vicinity. 

The idea of a graded public school did not, at 
first, meet with unqualified approval in Moorestown. 
Some of the older and more conservative residents 
here thought that the educational facilities afforded 
by the three schools then in existence here were 
ample for all the needs of the community, and that 
the proposition to replace one of them with such a 
school as was contemplated would only be to im- 
pose a burden of taxation without any sufficiently 
compensating advantages. The younger and newer 
elements carried the day, however, and the public 
school was finally decided upon. There are those 



1^5 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

who still secretly wish that things had been left as 
they were, and that the old frame school-housj with 
its sino-le teacher were still one of the institutions of 
the [)lace as of old. 

In 1873, the public school having b^cn decided 
u^)on and the ground for it having been purchased, 
the present building was erected and occupied. It 
is a two story brick structure, fronting on Second 
street, and v/as constructed according to advanced 
ide.v.s of jAiblic school architecture. It has five 
school rooms, arranged to meet the requirements of 
its f)\'c departments. 

The staff of instructors consists of a Principal 
and four assistant teachers ; and the course of study 
is a thorough one according to the present stan- 
dard of public school education. The finishing 
term takes the pupil through all the studies of the 
Philadelphia High School except three, the ex- 
ceptions, I believe, being Chemistry, Logic and 
Synonyms. 

The seating capacity of the school is 250, w^ith a 
total enroHment of 285, and an average attendance 
of 203 scholars. This district also includes the 
school at Wilson's Station, wdiich has a seating 
capacity of 50, a total enrollment of 35, and an 
average attendance of 30. The number of children 
in the entire district between the ages of five and 
eighteen years is 564. The present value of the 
school property here is about ^^ 10,000. The school 



■HE SCHOOLS. 17-7 



is supplied with a large and well selected library,, 
and also with well chosen illustrative apparatus. 

The first Principal of the public school was Miss 
Rebecca T. Garrigues who filled the position from 
the opening of the school in 1873 to the autumn of 
1877, when she resigned the place. She was suc- 
ceeded in September 1877, by Miss Anna Weld, 
who resigned the position in January, 1878 on 
account of her failing health. Miss Ella M. M 
Carr assumed the duties of Principal on the 21st of 
January 1878, and continued to exercise them until 
December, 1885, when she resigned. Mr. Henry 
C. Herr was her successor. He assumed the posi- 
tion January i, 1886, and still holds it. He is. 
assisted by Miss Marion Brown, Miss Mattie Cook,. 
Miss Jamieson and Miss Irene Benyaurd. 

The present Trustees of the district are Elwood 
Hollinshead, Samuei Dager and Gilbert Aitken. 

At the Centennial Exposition, in the Educational 
Department of New Jersey, there was exhibited a: 
large photograph, giving views, side by side, of the 
Moorestown Public School Building and of the old 
frame school house which it supplanted, the pur- 
pose being to emphasize the contrast between the 
old and the new styles of school house us they 
existed m New Jersey. The old frame school was 
labeled "One Hundred Years Old.' 

The Academy.— The school from which the 
present Friends' Academy has developed was the 



1^8 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

first of the schools established in Moorcstowii by- 
the Friends as a society. In 178 1, as has Ah-eady 
been stated, the Elders and Overseers of the Meet- 
ing purchased of Ephraim and Hannah Haines the 
ground on Main street at the head of Chester 
avenue, Vvhere the two meeting houses now stand. 
This was to be applied to such uses as the meeting 
should think proper, and the two uses that seemed 
eminently proper to the members were religious wor- 
ship and education. Accordingly besides erecting 
a meeting house on the eastern part of the lot, they 
built a school-house a little west of the middle of 
the enclosure. 

This school-house v/as a small, square structure, 
solidly built of stune. It was erected about the 
year 1785. and cost the society 253 pounds and 
12 shillings. It is related that the greater portion 
of the stone used in the construction was quarried 
from the ground on which the building was placed. 
Not all of it, however ; for it is also related that 
the stone which had formed the foundation of the 
old meeting house on the north side of Main streat 
was taken across the street when the meeting house 
was torn down, and built into the walls of the new 
school house. It would have been difficult to find 
anywhere a pleasanter location for a school than 
the one selected for this. The building stood well 
back from the street — or the "King's Highway" as 
it then was — on the southward slo'octhat overlooks 



THT' SCHOOLS. 



179 



'the bcaiitlfiil valley, and was well shaded, as it is 
now, by noble trees. The quiet and seclusion cer- 
tainl}- favored uninterrupted study; but whether 
"uninterrupted study prevailed I .shall not undertake 
to say. Probably not, for I have heard that some 
of the teachers occasionally punctuated the quiet 
day with very unquiet v/hippings. 

In this stone school house the Friends maintained 
'a school for their children and the children of the 
neighborhood until very recent years. They em- 
ployed good teachers, exercised a strict supervision 
through the representatives of their meeting, and in 
all ways kept the school up to a high standard. 
The result was that until very recently the school 
was held to meet very fully the needs of the com- 
munity. A good, thorough common school educa- 
tion was obtainable here, and the school at West- 
town, also under the control of Chester Meeting, 
furnished, as it does nov/, the opportunity for a well 
advanced education. The tvv-o together answered 
the purpose for which they v/ere established very 
comipletely through a long term of years. 

In the course of time, however, it became desir- 
able to add to the resources of the Moorestown 
school. The advancing development of the com- 
munity seemed to call for greater and higher facili- 
ties in the way of education than the old stone 
school house with its one teacher afforded. The 
'-thing to do was not to be decided upon lightly, 



l80 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

and much careful thought was expended upon it, 
and much comparison of views took place before 
the final decision was reached. This was to the 
effect that the school should be changed from a 
simple neighborhood scJiool to a high-grade institu- 
tion ; that its character should be modified and its 
scope largely increased, and the building should be 
so altered and added to as to meet the new require- 
ments. In short a graded Academy was to be 
established in a suitable academy building. 

So, after nearly a hundred years of usefulness 
to a number of rising generations, the little stone 
school house was deposed. It was not destroyed, 
but its identity was merged into that of a new- 
comer. It became, instead of an independent whole, 
merely a part of a much more elaborate building. 
In 1878 the present Academy building was com- 
pleted, the venerable stone house forming the rear 
portion of the structure. The building, as it stands, 
is a plain one-story house, the front, or newer por- 
tion being of brick, and the back part of stone. 
At the left of the entrance hall is the room con- 
taining the library, and there are, in addition, three 
school-rooms, all well furnished with modern school 
appliances. The building has a seating capacity of 
about one hundred, and the attendance is very 
nearly up to that standard. 

The change, of course, involved new aims and 
new methods, and the course of study, as now 



IIIE SCI100L3. 18 I 

■arranged, graduates the pupils after a thorough 
instruction in the higher branches of a soh'dly 
founded education. Tlicre are three departments 
an the school — the Priniary, Intermediate and 
Academic. Pupils are admitted to the Primary 
department at the age of six to eight years, and the 
time occupied in this department is two or three 
years, according to the age and standing of the 
pupils at the time of entering. In the Intermediate 
department one year is consumed, and the Acade- 
mict course takes four years; so that the entire 
course of study, from entering to graduation, occu- 
pies seven or eight years. The staff of teachers 
consists of tlie Principal and two regular assistant 
teachers, Avith an occasional extra assistant. 

The course of study in the Primary department 
includes Arithmetic, Geography, Spelling, Reading, 
Writing, Object Lessons, Natural History and 
Dravving. The Intermediate department comprises 
two classes, C and B. In class C the studies are 
Arithmetic, Geography, Physiology, Popular Sci- 
ence, Language Lessons, Elementary Philosophy 
and Child's American History. The studies for 
■class B are Arithmetic, Zoology, Physiology, Geog- 
raphy, Parley's History of the World, Study of 
Plants and Latin. The Academic department com- 
prises four classes ; they are class A, Second class. 
First class, and Senior class. In class A the studies 
>are Arithmetic, Physiology, Latin, United States 



1 82 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEY7. 

History, Algebra, English Grammar, Natural His- 
tory, and the Geography of the Old World. The- 
studies in the Second class are Algebra, Physics, 
Latin, English History, German, Physical Geogra- 
phy, English Grammar and Higher Arithmetic. 
The studies in the first class are Geometry, As- 
tronomy, Rhetoric, Constitution of the United' 
States, Latin, German, American Literature, Botany 
and Studies in English Literature. The Senior 
class has Trigonometry, Geology, Latin, Chemis- 
try, English Literature, German, Ancient History,. 
Higher Alijebra and Botany. 

The pupils liave tlie advant^.ge of the free use of 
the excellent library in the building, and in addi- 
tion there is a good collection of maps. There are 
also good physical and chemical apparatus, and' 
students in physiology are assisted by the study of 
an articulated skeleton, and a good clastic model 
of the human syste:"n. The study of natural history 
is greatly aided by a cabinet containing mounted 
specimens of one hundred and fifty of our native 
birds. 

The Academy was opened i]i the autumn of 1S78, 
with Richard Cadbeiry as the first Principal. He 
.served in that capacity for one year, vvdien he was 
succeeded by Edward Forsythc. After two years 
of service he relinquished the position, and Wilmer 
P. Leeds became Principal. His term of service 
was also two years, and at the end of that time he- 



THE SCHOOLS. jg^ 

was succeeded by Miss Ruth Anna Forsythe, whc 
has held the position ever since. Miss Forsythe 
has for lier assistant teachers, Walter Moovq and 
Miss Emma P. Forsythe. The school is under the 
control of the Orthodox branch of the Friends, and 
a committee is appointed by the ^Meeting to have- 
oversight of its conduct and affairs. The present 
committee is constituted as follows: William' 
Evans, George Abbott, jr.,. Samuel L. Allen, David 
Roberts, Elisha Roberts, Henry R.oberts, Alexan- 
der C. Wood, Mary Ann Haines, Sarah R. Allen, 
Rebecca Evans, Sarah Carter, Man.- R. Mallack.. 
Mary Anna Matlack, Sarah Ann Kaighn. 

Friends' High School.— The Friends' High 
School at the eastern end of Second street is also 
the outgrowth of a school which was established b\- 
the Friends as a Society, and which dated back to 
a time long past. In 1795, as has already been 
said, the Friends here purchased of Nathan Herit- 
age and his wife, the tract of land lying on the 
western side of Chester avenue, and extending, 
originally, from Main street to where the railroad 
nov/ is. In 1829 a frame school house was erected 
on this lot. about midway between the northern 
and southern boundaries, and fronting Chester 
avenue. Second street had no existence when the 
school house was built, and later, w;i.jn the survey 
was made for that thoroughfare, it was found that 
^itlicr Llic strejto. the school liou^<=: vj?ull have tr 



184 MOORESTUWN, OLD AND NEW. 

turn out. The building was the one to yield. It 
was moved some distance toward the North, and 
thenceforth stood on the northwestern corner of 
Second street and Chester avenue. 

It was a little, low, white frame building, with its 
entrance door toward Second street ; and was a 
pleasant and picturesque feature of the locality, 
standing as it did in the shade of some large old 
trees. Like the stone school house, this was under 
the control of the Friends, but of the other branch ; 
and v/hile it gave their children the opportunity for 
being well taught, it was also open to the children 
of the neighborhood who were not identified with 
that society. For many years it served its purpose, 
and among the long list of teachers who gave 
Instruction there, our townsman Judge Clayton 
Lippincott was one. As in the other schools, a 
solid common school education according to the 
old standards was the kind of education obtainable 
here. A good start up the hill of learning was 
given, but the climb to the upper part of the hill 
was not attempted. In the later years of its exist- 
ence the school was chiefly devoted to small schol- 
ars; and more than one of the pupils now in 
attendance at the High School has happy recollec- 
tions of the summer days spent in t!ie "little whits 
school house," under the loving min'strations of the 
kind young teacher who presided tiure. 



THE SCHOOLS. I 85 

It was this little school that expanded into the 
present High School. When the proposition was 
made to establish a high-grade school, offering- 
ample facilities for acquiring an advanced educa- 
tion in accordance with the standard now accepted, 
and by the use of methods now in use, the sugges- 
tion was not favorably considered by the older and 
more conservative of those in authority. They 
were not hostile to the standard or the methods, 
but they doubted the success of their application 
here and now. The younger and more progressive 
ones, however, were sanguine and persistent, and 
their enthusiasm carried the day. The High 
School was decided upon ; and v/hen that decision 
had once been reached the determination was fully 
shared by all to make the new departure an unqual- 
ified success. 

The little old frame school house which had been 
a landmark for so many years was torn down, and 
its successor, the present High school building, 
was completed in 1880. This is a handsome two 
story brick structure, standing on the west side of 
Chester avenue, and the north side of Second street. 
The front is toward Chester avenue, but there is an 
entrance, also, on the western side of the building, 
for the male pupils, the eastern door being for the 
girls. The building contains five good siz:'' scliool- 
rooms, thoroughly lighted by ample windows. 



lS6 .w M0£«<E3T0W>r, OLD ANB NEW. 

The internal arrangements are convenient, and the 
ground surrounding the school house affords abun- 
dant room for the sport and exercise the young 
folks need. The seating capacity of the building is 
a hundred and fifty and this can be somewhat 
increased if necessary by altering the present seat- 
ing arrangements. 

The school has three departments — the Primary, 
Intermediate and Advanced. A Kindergarten is 
also conducted in one of the rooms of the buildincf 
at present; but although it is under the control of 
the school committee, it is not properly a depart- 
ment of the High School, being a distinct institu- 
tion. It will be removed from the building the 
present year and established in separate quarters 
elsewhere. It is probable that in the course of a 
year or so a building especially designed for the 
Kindergarten will be erected in the present school 
fjrounds. In the meantime the room now occupied 
by it in the school building will henceforth be 
added to the school accommodations. 

The corps of instructors in the school comprises 
a Principal and, at present, three assistant teachers. 
Hereafter there will be four assistant teachers in- 
stead of three. Besides these there is a special 
teacher of drawing and painting who gives instruc- 
tion at stated times ; and there is also a special 
lecturer who visits the school from time to time 
::.Md lectures to the pupils on subjects connected 



'1 IIL, feCllo'-j^S. 



187 



with their regular studies. Tlic efforts of these in- 
structors are made more effective by a well furnished 
library of reference-books, by maps and globes^ 
philosophical and chemical apparatus, a cabinet of 
minerals, a skeleton, &c. 

The pupils in the three departments of the school 
are arranged in eight classes, ranging from " G'^ 
class in the Primary department to the Senior class 
in which pupils leave the Advanced department 
and the school. The full course of study occupies 
eight years, and is arranged for the various classes 
as follows : G class ; Number, Reading, Spelling, 
Object Lessons, Oral Geography, Writing, Drawing 
and Molding. F class ; Arithmetic, Reading, Oral 
Geography, Spelling, Language Lessons, Writings 
Drawing and Molding. E class ; Arithmetic Read- 
ing, Geography, Language Lessons, Spelling, Writ- 
ing, Drawing and Molding. D class; Arithmetic,. 
Reading, Geography, Elements of Natural Philoso- 
phy, American History, Language Lessons, Spelling 
Writincr Drawlnp- and Moldincr. C class ; Arithme- 
tic, Reading, Intermediate Geography, Physiology,, 
American History, Spelling, Etymology, Grammar, 
Composition, Drawing and Writing. B class ; Al- 
gebra, Arithmetic, American History, Physical 
Geography, Grammar, Reading, Etymology, Com- 
position, Drawing and Writing. A class ; Geome- 
try, Algebra, Arithmetic, History of the World, 
Ph3'sics, Grammar, Latin or German, Elocution, 



I 83 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

Coniposition, Literature, Drawing and Writing. 
Senior class ; Geometry, Intellectual Philosophy, 
Higher Arithmetic, University Algebra, Literature, 
Geology, Astronomy, Latin or German, Painting 
'or Perspective Drawing, and Elocution and Com- 
position. 

One of the purposes of the school, as set forth by 
its managers, is to prepare students intending to 
take a course in college; and arrangements have 
been made with the managers of Svvarthmore Col- 
lege whereby pupils may enter the Freshman class 
without examination by presenting a certificate 
from the Principal of this school. Another pur- 
pose is to offer the best possible opportunities to 
those pupils who do not purpose pursuing the 
entire course of study. In fulfilment of this pur- 
pose a Special Department has been instituted, in 
which pupils are privileged to select studies in any 
of the classes, and pursue such separate branches 
as may seem desirable. 

The school v/as opened October Sth, 1880, with. 
Miss Annie Caley, now Mrs. Doran, as the first 
Principal. She served as Principal for two years, 
when she resigned the position and was succeeded 
by Mr. George E. Megarge, who has since been, 
and still is the Principal. The assistant teachers at 
the present time are Miss Mary Willets, A. B., Miss 
Emma S. Pyle and Miss Ida Bonner. Miss Rachel 
L. R'-^-^-^-s is the Kindercrartncr. v/ith ]\'Iiss S..ru!i II. 



THE SCHOOLS. 



189 



Wilson as assistant. Miss Virginia Kalcr is the 
teacher of drawing and painting. The present 
attendance at the school, includin*^ the Kindercrar- 
is one hundred and twenty-five. 

The Academy is under the charge of the Ortho- 
dox Friends ; the High School is under the direc- 
tion of the other branch of the society. A com- 
mittee appointed by the Ciester Preparative Meet- 
ing has direct supervision of it. The committee is 
at present composed as follows : John M. Lippin- 
cott, William Dunn Rogers, John S. Collins, Sam- 
uel C. DeCou, Joshua R. Evans, Levi L. Lippincott, 
Thomas D. Holmes. M irtha DeCou, Sarah L. 
Holmes, Lydia L. Rogers, Emily H. Atkinson, 
Rachel A. Collins, Sarah R. Sullivan, Hannah B. 
Lippincott. 

The High School and the Academy are both 
largely patronized by those who are not members 
of either Friends' Meeeting, but who are glad to 
have for their children the very liberal educational 
advantages offered b}- those institutions. 




Chaptf.t^ XIV. 

Societies and Iiistitiitioiis. 

SSOCIATION is the key-note of modern 
life. It had a eood deal to do with 



2'^a'^ ancient life too, for that matter, but it is 
^S^^^ pre-eminently characteristic of our affairs 
to-day. Whether or not it is the American idea of 
union carried out to its extreme result, there cer- 
tainly seems to be a general acceptance of the 
doctrine enunciated by a certa.in statesman v/hen 
the Declaration of Independence was under discus- 
sion : " We must all hang together — or else we will 
all hang separately." Pretty much everything is 
done in partnership. Organized labor confronts 
organized capital; organized tourists are "person- 
ally conducted" through Europe by the agents of 
organized excursion makers ; and things have got 
to such a pass now that in some places the school 
boys have organized syndicates to resist the en- 
croachments of organized learning. 

Moorestown Is not greatly under the Influence of 
this particular spirit of the age. There is no all- 
controlling syndicate here ; the Knights of Labor 
are not a power, and I have never heard of a strike 
(190) 



\ 



SOCIETIES AND IN5TITUTION3. jgi 

or lockout in the place. Organization here is not 
aggressive, and it is not defensive. It is harmonious 
•and has only peaceful intentions ; but there is a 
good deal of it. The principle of association is 
fully recognized, and there are a goodly number of 
societies and institutions here in which the idea 
finds a variety of practical expressions. There are 
literary, financial, beneficial, class and reformatory 
organizations. Some of them take the form of 
secret societies, and some take the public fully into 
their confidence ; all have a distinct purpose to 
accomplish and are in earnest about achieving it. 
A very notable example of what could be done in 
this direction in times past was afforded by 

The Mooresto'.vn Literary Association. — 
This organization no longer exists ; but a quarter 
of a century ago it was a power and a resource. 
In looking back at what it was and what it achieved 
Ave cannot but lament that it has gone and left no 
fitting successor. The regret is tempered by the 
hope that its successor will yet appear; and the 
success of the old society, continued through a 
term of years, is an assurance that the nevv^ one will 
not lack for encouragement. What was true then 
is undoubtedly true now: The community is ready 
to welcome and support the best that can be 
offered it. 

About the year 1S54 a number of the prominent 
and public spirited men of the place set about 



jg2 LIOOIU:STUWN, OLD \:<\) NKW. 

devising ways and means to supply a manifest and 
widely felt deficiency in the social and intellectual 
life of the community. This deficiency existed in 
the fact that there was here no adequate means of 
suitable recreation for the people of the villai^j and 
vicinity. There was no railroad, and a visit to 
Philadelphia for an evening's entertainment or 
profit was out of the question. The people must 
have their pleasure brought to them or they must 
o-Q without it. Realizing this necessity the group 
of men alluded to undertook to meet it in the best 
v^^ay, and wiih this purpose organized the Moores- 
town Literary Association, which had for its object 
the furnishing of winter courses of good lectures to 
the people of Moorestown. 

The association was made up of good material. 
Such men as Dr. J. J. Spencer, Rev. H. H. Weld, 
rector of the Episcopal Church. Rev. Dr. Fendall, 
pastor of the Baptist Church, Mr. Edward Harris, 
Mr. Israel lieulings, Mr. John \V. r>uzby and Dr. 
N. N. Stokes, composed the membership. Mr. 
Heulings was President of the society ; and Dr. 
Stokes, then quite a young man and but recently 
established in practice here, was the Secretary. 
The list of members comprised other names wliich 
I have not now at hand, but these fairly indicate 
the quality of the material which composed it. 
Rev. Dr. P\Midall, Rev. Mr. Weld, Drs. Spencer and 
Stokes and Mv. Harris were chosen as tlu Lecture 



SOCIETIES AND INS'l IIUTIONS ig^ 

Committee, and carried their work through with 
energy and enthusiasm. 

Before inviting the pubHc to attend a course ol' 
lectures it was necessary to provide a place in which 
lecturer and people might meet. There was nc 
public hall constructed with reference to lectures^, 
concerts and other popular entertainments. There- 
was only the little township building, and that was 
neither large enough, nor adapted otherwise to the 
to the purpose in contemplation. In the emergency 
the hall in the third story of Burr's store building- 
was rented and fitted up as a lecture-room. To 
this room the community was invited to listen to 
good lectures ; and the invitation was accepted with 
an enthusiasm that fully vindicated the wisdom 
of those who had assumed that a demand always 
exists for Avhat is good. Every week during the 
season a lecture was delivered in the extem- 
porized hall, and every week during the season a 
crowded audience gathered there to listen to it. 
An audience of four hundred people would be con- 
sidered a pretty fair-sized one for a place of Moore- 
town's present size, but that number of people 
frequently assembled in the lecture room here a 
quarter of a century ago. 

So hearty was the appreciation of the opportunity 
offered for hearing good things that the people 
used to drive into the village every lecture night 
from homes that were several n^.iles out in the 



1^4 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

country, and then drive back again when the lec- 
ture was over. Under the starlight or under the 
clouds the people came to the lectures. And they 
listened to many a good man who had something 
to say that was worth the saying. Bishop Stevens 
was one of the lecturers, and Judge Kelley was 
another. They came season after season ; and so 
did Rev. A. A. Willetts, who was a favorite here as 
every where else. Dr. Isaac Hayes, of Arctic fame 
warmed the Moorestown winter by detailing ex- 
periences that were so much colder. Isaac Hazel- 
hurst, Esq., J. Wheaton Smith and President Allen 
of Girard College were some among the many 
good lecturers to whom the people listened on 
these memorable evenings. 

The tribulations of the lecture committee were 
by no means ended when their hall had been 
secured and tiieir lecture engagements made. The 
winter is the lecture season, and committees with a 
full command of railroad facilities know that there 
is apt to be a slip 'twixt a winter engagement and 
the fulfilment of it. A snow-blockade makes even 
an express train on a trunk hne uncertain in its 
connections. What then must have been the cares, 
labors and anxieties of our committee, under the 
necessity of getting their lecturers here over coun- 
try roads, by stage, or by private conveyance. 
Sometimes, in spite of the utmost efforts, there was 
disappointment. This was not often the case, 



SOCIETIES AND INSTITUTIONS. 



IQ- 



liowever, and altogether the enterprise flourished 
r^reatly. 

For three vvqntcrs the lectures were dehvered in 
:the room over the store, but the necessity for a 
-more commodious and more accessible place was 
^strongly felt by the association The township 
building on the Main street was in a capital loca- 
tion, but it was too small, and moreover was under 
the, control of the Township Committee for exclu- 
sively township puposes. Negotiations were opened 
between the association and the township authori- 
ties with the result that the association became 
;oint proprietors with the township of the little 
brick building. Then the association issued stock 
and effected an improvement that was notable in its 
•day. An addition was made at the rear of the 
building by which the size of the Town Hall (as it 
■lad now become) was exactly doubled. A platform 
■.vas constructed, seats were put in, and Moorestown 
Town Hall in its new elegance was considered a 
^decided credit to the place. Pipes were laid from 
^the residence of Mr. Harris, and for a time at least, 
■■-he new building was lighted with gas from his 
private gas machine. 

The arragement with the township authorities 
'left them the use of the hall for all township pur- 
poses, and the new partners had it for lectures and 
:)ther purposes as they might desire. The joint 
^proprietorship still exists, and the stockholders 



Iq6 moorejTown, old and new. 

meet semi-occasionally to look after the state of 
their investment and declare or pass a dividend, as 
the case may be. It was in 1856 or 1857 that the 
new hall was opened for lectures, and the success 
that had attended the efforts of the association in 
their third story room followed them to their new 
quarters, and continued unabated until the final 
extinguishment of the enterprise in other and more 
intensely absorbing interests. The last course of 
lectures was in the winter of i860 — '61. Before 
another came the war had begun its strenuous dis- 
course, and people were too intent on that to listen 
to literary lectures. 

The Moorestown Literary Association is dead,, 
and from its ashes no successor has yet sprung up. 
It is to be hoped the succession will not be long 
delayed. The opportunity is as ripe now as then, 
waiting only for the right men to pluck it. When 
they appear they will surely find as great a success 
following their endeavors as their predecessors had. 
Good lectures, concerts and scientific entertainments 
would certainly be as heartily welcomed now as 
before the war. 

The Friends' Library. — An institution based 
on the same idea as that which formed the founda- 
tion of the Literary Association, is the Friends' 
Public Library. Happily, unlike the other, it is 
still in existence, and is advancing year by year to 
a higher sta.uKird of prosperity. Perhaps one 






SOCIETIES AND INSTITUTIONS. igy 

reason for the difference is that the Library is 
exclusively in the hands of women, and it requires 
something more upsetting than a war to overturn a 
woman's purpose. At all events the Library sur-. 
vived the war, and has continued to go on from 
good to better, until, from a feeble beginning it has 
attained a sturdy maturity. 

It was in 1853 that the Library was instituted. 
The necessity for a collection of good books accessi- 
ble to the public was as strongly felt as the necessity 
for public lectures. This was a reading community 
and good books were always in demand. But so 
many books worth the reading were put forth every 
year that no private collection could compass them 
all, or even the best of them. Moreover there were 
here, as in every community, a very large propor- 
tion of appreciative readers who ardently desired 
the best but were able to buy but very little of it. 
If the people could have the opportunity, by the 
payment of a small sum each year, of reading some 
of the best Hterature and then putting the volumes 
back on the shelves for somebody else to read, they 
would gladly avail themselves of it. That was the 
reasoning in the minds of those who suggested and 
planned the Library; and the wisdom of their 
reasoning has been shown by the result. 

They were convinced that the experiment was 
worth trying, at all events, and on the 15th of 
March, 1853, they began to put their convictions 



igS MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

into practise. On that day the first meeting to 
consider the founding of the library was held in the- 
old stone school house which now forms a portion 
of the Academy building. An adjourned meeting 
was held on the 27th of the same month, and at 
this meeting the enterprise was fully decided upon, 
A constitution which had been drawn up in the 
meantime, was presented, and after due considera- 
tion was finally adopted. The association formed 
was named the " Moorestown Library Association of 
Friends," and the experiment was fairly under way. 

Joseph W. Lippincott was the first Secretary ;- 
and if he had very much to do it was not because- 
the library under his charge was a big one. When 
first opened to the public the library had on its. 
shelves about one hundred and twenty volumes. 
Donations of books had been received from Dn 
Joseph Warrington, James S. Lippincott and some- 
others in Moorestown; and thirty-seven volumes 
of Friends works had been received from one of 
the Friends' Meetings in Philadelphia. These last 
have always been loaned free of charge to any who' 
might apply for them. The use of all the other 
books, of course, had to be paid for by those 
enjoying the privileges ; but the charge has been,, 
and remains, so very moderate that it is not felt as 
a burden. 

The Association was formed and it had the bo'oks- 
to start with ; but like the Literary AssociatiorL^ 



SOCiETiES AND IN» 1 1 i U 1 l^NS. 



199 



with its lectures. *l must have a place to put them. 
It had no library building-, and tlv erection of one 
was an idea it could not entertain lor a moment at 
that stage of its progress. A i cady made place 
must be found, and arrangements were made for 
placing the volumes in an up-stairs room in the 
store building of Haines and Buzby, which stood 
on the ground now occupied by the Brown Bros.' 
store. There was the first abiding place of the 
Friends' Library; and Mr. John \V. Buzby, one of 
proprietors of the store, who a little later became 
one of the active members of the Literary Associa- 
tion, was the first Librarian. 

In the years that have passed since then the 
Library has been to some extent a migratory itstitu- 
tion, but its migrations have always been to better 
and more accessible quarters. After a considerable 
time spent in its old home it was removed to 
Howard Leed's jewelry shop, the proprietor acting 
as Librarian. Here it tarried for a time, and then 
was removed the millinery shop of Angela Adams, 
that lady in her turn acting as Librarian. After an 
interval it was again removed, this time to the 
millinery shop of Sarah Davis, who became Libra- 
rian. In these four places the Library spent twenty- 
six years. Finally, in 1879, it made its last change 
of place up to the present time. The Academy 
Building had been constructed in the Meeting" 
House enclosure, and in the front room on the left 



•200 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

of the entrance hall of this building, the Library 
was placed at the time mentioned, and there it still 
remains. 

Great advantages were secured by this last re- 
moval. A room more suitable in its location and 
arrangement than any heretofore occupied was 
obtained ; the expense of paying rent was obviated, 
and the further expense of paying for a Librarian's 
services was avoided. Under the present arrange- 
ment, each of the six lady managers of the institu- 
tion acts as Librarian during two months of tlie 
)"ear; and as their services are given gratuitously, 
every cent of revenue can be, and is, applied to the 
purchase of new books. Favorable as the present 
location is, however, the promoters of the enterprise 
are not yet fully satisfied. Their ambition now is 
to have the Library placed in a building placed in 
a building of its own ; a building especially con- 
structed and arranged for its accommodation. This 
will no doubt be accomplished in the course of 
time. Meanwhile things are very well as they are 
now, even if the ambition mentioned should never 
accomplish its purpose. 

During the years that have passed since the first 
books were placed on its shelves there has been a 
gradual and steady increase in the number of 
volumes, until now the Library contains about 
eight hundred and fifty books. Each year of late 
between fifty and sixty works have been added to 



Goci tries AND institution:.. 201 

the catalogue. Last year (1885) nine hundred and 
and nineteen volumes were taken out by subscribers 
and casual readers. A clause in the constitution 
adopted in 1853 provides that "no novels, romances, 
or any works of an immoral tendency, or which 
derogate from the principles of the Christian religion 
shall be placed in the Library." This condition 
lias always been strictly observed, and no work of 
fiction — with the single exception, I believe, of 
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" — is to be obtained here. 
But then, as one of the managers explains, " fiction 
can be obtained anywhere; and it seems best to 
5pend the little money we have on something else." 
Happily there is a vast amount of good reading 
that is not fiction, and a great variety of this may 
be found on the shelves of the Library. Standard 
works of poetry, travels, science, biography and 
history (the constitutional clause not having been 
construed to forbid the kind of fiction that is often 
pressed between the covers of an historical volume) 
urc here, and year by year some of the best new 
books are added. 

The Library is open two afternoons in the week, 
with one of the managers in attendance. Annual 
subscribers, by the payment of a very moderate fee 
each year, are entitled to the free use of the books, 
and those who are not subscribers can have the 
reading of any book for two weeks for the sum of 
iive cents per volume. The present managers of 



202 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

this excellent institution are Esther Robers, Martha 
E. Stokes, Sally Ann Kaighn, Mary W. Stokes,, 
Rebecca Matlack, Mary C. Roberts and Sarah S. 
Carter. The Secretary is Esther Roberts, and the 
Treasurer Mary W. Stokes. 

MooRESTOWN, National Bank. — One of the most 
recent additions to the institutions of Moorestown 
is, in its way, one of the most important. It does 
not deal in literature, except to a very limited ex- 
tent ; but without the matter that it does deal in, 
libraries would be but places of emptiness, and lec- 
ture committees would strive in vain to entice the 
public. It deals in money, and is a bank. 

One highly gratified old citizen exclaimed, when 
the bank was opened : " It took Moorestown two 
hundred years to build a bank, and I hope it will 
take longer than that to tumble it down." Moores- 
town was not trying, through all of her two hundred 
years, to establish such an institution; but the effort 
had certainly been repeatedly made, and made in 
vain, a good many years before the endeavor that 
-gucceeded. Ic v/as Rev. Jarnes H. Lamb, the 
Episcopal clerg3/man, who actively began and 
pushed forward this last movement, and he was 
met by the discouraging assurance, from one after 
another of the prominent citizens whom he ap- 
proached : " It can't be done. We found that out 
thirty years ago." Gradually, however, he brought 
them to realize that this effort was bein:: made now 



SOCIETIES AND IXSTI I'UTIONS. 



203 



thirty years after the one that had discouraged 
them. Then they began to think that it might 
succeed, and soon they were convinced that success 
was possible. This conviction made success cer- 
tain ; for all that was needed was to overcome the 
inertia. This done, rapidly accelerated motion was 
soon attained. The rate of progress' was a sore- 
surprise to some of the old conservatives. When 
asked to take stock they laughed and said they 
would subscribe the next year. To the next invita- 
tion they responded that they would " see about it 
Christmas." Before Christmas they had concluded 
that it would be as well not to wait any longer, and 
were astonished to have their applications for shares 
met with the assurance that every dollar had been 
sold. They bought shares, but had to pay a 
premium. 

The agitation of the bank enterprise v/as begun 
early in the summer of 1885, and at first, as I have 
said, the general response to the idea was not enthu- 
siastic. Everybody recognized the desirability of 
such an institution as was proposed, but "the place 
would not support it," was the fear expressed. 
Persistent argument bore down this kind of opposi- 
tion (the only kind that was encountered) and suffi- 
cient co-operation was secured to put the project 
in proper form to present to the public. A call 
was issued for a public meeting, and at the meeting 
a still further advance was made toward success. 



-04 



MOORESTOWN. OLD AND NEW. 



Ill a very little while the establishment of the bank 
became a certainty, and there was no trouble in 
raising all the money that was needed. In fact, 
before the final allotment of stock was made it was 
was necessary to refuse the applications of many 
who wished to purchase shares, and as has already 
been said, some who decided, in their half-skepti- 
cism "to wait until Christmas," bousfht shares at a 
premium before the summer was ended. The Bank 
Charter was obtained July •23d, 1885. 

On the 30th of July a meeting of the stockholders 
was called. By that time the tide had set strongly 
in the direction of success. There was enthusiasm 
in the public mind, and the people already spoke 
of "our bank" as an accomplished fact that every- 
body had a right to be proud of it. Those who 
were not stockholders wished they were ; and those 
were stockholders congratulated themselves on their 
good fortune. At the stockholders' meeting a per- 
manent organization was effected by the election of 
the following directors : Clayton Lippincott, Wil- 
liam M. Paul, William Parry, Henry W. Doughten, 
N. Newlin Stokes, M. D., Alfred H. Burr, John C. 
Hopkins, David D. Griscom and Josiah Lippincott. 

At a subsequent meeting of the directors Judge 
Clayton Lippincott was elected President of the 
Bank, William M. Paul, Vice President, and William 
W. Stokes, Cashier. It was also resolved to erect 
a suitable buildincf for the bank as soon as it could 



bOCIETlES AiNiD lNbHTUTlUx>JS. 20^ 

be effected. To find a suitable location for the 
building was the next thing in order, and a num- 
ber of available properties were inspected an(i 
their merits and demerits considered. Finally it 
was decided to purchase the ground on which the 
work-shop of Mr. James Sankey stood, between his 
residence and that of the Misses Slim on Main 
street. The purchase was made, the old building — 
one of the ancient landmarks of the place — removed 
and work on the bank building was commenced 
September 2 1st, 1885. 

In the meantime a room was secured in the resi- 
dence of Mrs. E. A. Jones, near the site of the 
Bank. This was appropriately fitted up with Bank 
appliances, and here the Moorestown National 
Bank established itself temporarily, until such time 
as it could take possession of its own proper 
quarters, having been authorized by the Comp- 
troller of Currency to commence business Aug. 31. 
It opened for business September 14th 1885. From 
the first day the business it transacted showed that 
those who had insisted that Moorestown wanted a 
bank had reckoned wisely. It showed, too, that 
Moorestown, conservative though it may be, is 
quite ready to welcome an innovation of the right 
sort, if the innovators have the pluck and persis- 
tency to carry their point and take the chances. 
The first day's deposits amounted to ^3,266.47. 
The second day's business was still larger. The first 



20u MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

statement was called for by the Comptroller October 
1st, two weeks after opening, and showed loans 
and discounts amounting- to ^30,172, and deposits 
amounting to ^33,073.87. Statements since then 
have shown deposits of over ;^ 100,000. 

The Bank building was to have been completed 
by January ist, 1886; but there were various de- 
lays which prevented this, and it was not ready for 
occupation until March. On Saturday, March 6th, 
the new building was formally taken possession of 
The place was open for the inspection of the public 
on that day, and the public freely availed itself of 
its privilege. All day visitors thronged the build- 
ing and the officers and directors were kept busy 
pointing out and explaining the various features. 
The location is a very favorable one ; on the South 
side of Main street, and in the heart of the business 
portion of the town, it is convenient of access to all 
ihaving business to transact there. On the follow- 
ing Monday Mrs. Jones' room was vacated, and 
Ibusiness began in the new place. 

The building itself has a frontage of 27 feet, and 
'is 49 feet 6 inches deep. It is built of red brick, with 
-stone basement walls. It is a plain, solid looking 
structure, without architectural pretensions. The 
front part is occupied by the banking room, which 
occupies the full height of the building. The room 
is well lighted and admirably arranged. Back of 
this is the depositors' room, and back of liiis again. 



SOCIETIES AND INSTITUTIONS. ^07 

the Directors' room. This is a room so cosy in its 
■comfortable appointments, and so charmino- in its 
outlook over the Southern valley that to have a 
Board meeting every day would be a very natural 
desire on the part of the Directors. The remain- 
der of the first floor is occupied by the safe-deposit 
vault. 

This is a construction that fully justifies its name, 
and combines the most -recent and effective appli- 
ances for repelling the effects of fire and the attacks 
of burglars. The foundation of the vault is of solid 
brick work, and contains 20,000 bricks. It is com- 
menced a foot below the cellar floor, and is seven 
feet high, thirteen feet eight inches long, and ten 
feet six inches deep. The top of this brick founda- 
tion is entirely covered with large six-inch flag- 
stones. It will readily be seen that the attempt to 
tunnel through all this masonry would be somewhat 
discouraging. On this is set the vault, weighing 
twenty-two tons. At the sides and back of this 
there are three feet of solid masonry, and on top 
there are flag-stones again, like those below. It 
would be a tolerably safe place of deposit even if 
there were no iron or steel about it. 

But there are iron and steel. The vault, or safe 
proper, is made of the best chrome steel and iron, 
metal so densely hard that the ordinary tools for 
working iron have almost no effect upon it, and the 
most finely tempered tools can be made to drill 



208 MUOKL.STUWN, OLD AND NEW. 

through only about half an inch of it in eiglit hours. 
The outside door of the safe weighs 4,300 pounds. 
Beyond this are the vestibule doors, and all are 
fitted with such an array of time and combination 
locks, and obstinate bolts that even honest men 
cannot get into the safe except at the right time ; 
if a burglar, skilled in his profession and armed 
Vv'ith the best tools of his craft — and unhappily the 
burglars have about the most scientific and effec- 
tive that are going — were to begin work there on 
Saturday night, by the time Monday morning came 
he would have come to the conclusion that honesty 
was the best policy, would have given up the job 
and gone somewhere to rest. 

Within all these safe-guards are the safe for the 
bank's funds, and the safe-deposit boxes. These 
last are one hundred and seventy-two in number, 
and furnish an excellent resource for those who 
have papers and other valuables which they want 
kept absolutely out of harm's way. Each box 
requires two keys to unlock it — the renter's key, 
and the master key of the cashier. Moreover no 
key will unlock any lock but its own. This de- 
partment of the bank has also been thoroughly 
appreciated by the community, and the deposit 
boxes were readily rented from the first. 

The officers of the bank are three in number : 
William W. Stokes, cashier ; Joseph Lippincott, 
teller; and Charles W. Stokes, son of the cashier, 



SOCIETIES AND INSTITUTIOXS. ^Og. 

assistant teller. Mr. Stokes came here from Med- 
ford to accept the position of cashier, and has had 
experience which fits him thoroughly for the place.. 
Mr. Lippincott represents a v/ell known Moores*- 
town family. 

Women's Christian Temperance Union.— Every 
reformatory movement is in its nature distinctly 
aggressive. The Women's Christian Temperance 
Union is exclusively reformatory in its character. 
It has an active and powerful existence in Moores- 
town ; and therefore necessitates a modification of 
the statement that the organizations existing here 
were neither aggressive nor defensive. For a time 
past few interests have challenged a larger share of 
public attention here than the quietly aggressive 
work of this association. The cabalistic letters 
" W. C T. U." meet the eye in the columns of the 
newspaper, on the posted hand-bill, on the sign of 
a reading room, and even on the sides of fire-buckets 
hung up ready for use. The name strikes the ear 
as frequently as the eye, and the purposes and 
achieX^ements of the Union are the topic of no small 
amount of conversation. Weekly meetings are held 
lectures are delivered, pledges and petitions are 
circulated and personal visitations are made, and so 
the interest in the work in hand is kept constantly 
awake. 

The W. C. T. U. did not begin the temperance 
agitation here. That ante-dates the organization 



210 



MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 



of the Union by many years ; but it may be doubted 
if the cause of temperance reform was ever before 
so actively and generally labored for in Moores- 
town, or with such strongly marked effect as during 
the past year.. Ladies of all Christian denomina- 
tions have taken a zealous and enthusiastic part in 
the work, and they have had the hearty co-opera- 
tion of a large portion of the men. They have not 
by any means contented themselves with exhorta- 
tion and the distribution of tracts. They have 
gone systematically to work to curtail the liquor 
traffic under the law, and also to lessen its allure- 
ments by providing a recreative resort where liquor 
is not an accompaniament ; and also by providing 
accommodations for the traveling public where 
liquor is not to be found. 

In the latter part of January, 1886, the young 
men forming a class in the Friends' First-Day school 
invited Major Scott to visit Moorestown and de- 
liver four temperance lectures here. He came, 
accompanied by his wife, and delivered the four 
lectures to large and interested audiences. In the 
meantime Mrs. Scott was moving to organize here 
a branch of the Women's Christian Temperance 
Union. A meeting for the purpose was held in the 
Baptist Church, but without finishing the work 
adjourned to meet in the lecture room of the Epis- 
copal Church on the following Monday evening, 
F.ebruary ist. This meeting was largely attended, 



SOCIETIES AND INSTITUTIONS. 211 

'and the branch Union was organized, with an ener- 
;getic and enthusiastic membership, composed of 
women who were fully in earnest for the work they 
had undertaken, and prepared to prosecute it to 
-the utmost. 

The first meeting of the newly organized Union 
Avas held in the parlor of Mrs. Edward Sutton, on 
Second street, on the afternoon of Friday, February 
:5th. After that meetings were held every Tuesday 
afternoon in the Friends' High School building on 
Second street. The society rented the room the 
Bank had occupied in Mrs. Jones' residence on 
Main street, and began their occupation of it March 
a^d. For a time after this they continued to hold 
meetings in the High School building once a 
month, but now all their meetings are held in their 
-own room. They meet there every Tuesday after- 
.noon and transact such business as they have on 
■hand. 

The membership of the Union has steadily in- 
^creased since its organization, and now numbers 
■ about one hundred. Mrs. Edward Sutton is the 
President, Miss Mary Wilson, Recording Secretary, 
Mrs. H. Hartranft, Corresponding Secretary, and 
•Miss Katie Aitken Treasurer. There is a Vice- 
President from each religious body in the place- 
Indeed the organization justifies its name by being 
•thoroughly a union of Christian women of all 
•denominations. 



212 MOORESTUWN, OLD AND NE\V^, 

The work and the enthusiasm for it are not by 
any means confined to the women. To them be- 
longs the credit of organizing and systematizing the 
labor in which both men and women have a zeal- 
ous interest ; and in their efforts they have won, as^ 
is the wont of women everywhere and always, the 
hearty co-operation of earnest and capable men of 
all denominations and various walks of life. The 
children, also, have entered into the spirit of the 
thing. A Band of Hope has been organized which 
numbers now one hundred and forty-four members, 
and the roll of membership is lengthening. 

A logical and legitimate part of the work under- 
taken by the members of the Union and their co- 
workers was to formally protest against the grant- 
ing of licenses for the sale of intoxicating liquors in 
the place. They meant that their protest should 
be not only formal but effective if they could make 
it so. A remonstrance against the granting of 
licenses, addressed to the Common Pleas Court, 
was prepared and circulated among the voters of 
the town by the ladies of the Union. When the 
remonstrance was presented in court it bore over 
four hundred signatures. 

Remonstrating was^not all that was to be done, 
however. If taverns with bars were to be success- 
fully protested against, an equivalent without a bar 
must be provided ; for the court fully recognizes the 
nccessit}' for a place of public entertainment in the 



SOCIETIES AND INSTITUTION- 



213 



town, and if there is no such place without a bar the 
court will accept the assurance that the place ivith a 
bar is necessary. Therefore a temperance house 
must be provided. Overtures were made for the 
purchase of each of the established hotels, with a 
view to making a temperance house of it, but in 
each case the negotiations were ineffectual. Efforts 
were then made in a new direction, and in a short 
time arrangements had been made by which not 
one, but three temperance houses for the accommo- 
dation of travellers or permanent boarders were 
assured. The applications, duly signed, for the 
license of these three houses were presented in 
court before the remonstrance against the liquor 
license, and the licenses were granted. The two 
old hotels were also licensed again, in spite of the 
remonstrance. 

The temperance house question had been solved 
in a manner to meet the present emergency, but 
the solution was not yet satisfactory as a permanent 
settlement of the matter. Accordingly it was ener- 
getically pushed still further. It was decided that 
Moorestown should have a fully equipped Temper- 
ance Hotel — one that should compete on at least 
•equal terms as to convenience of location and com- 
pleteness of accommodations for guests, with the 
houses that kept bars. Accordingly the subscrip- 
tion that had ah'eady been started was continued. 
It was liberally responded t(\ and in a short time a 



214 MOORT^BdOWN, OLD AS » NEW. 

sufficient sum had been subscribed to lead to the- 
anticipation of a regular temperance hotel here- 
before the time comes to send in the next applica- 
tion for license. 

So much for one branch of the work done by 
the Women's Christian Temperance Union, with' 
the aid of the equally earnest men who have co- 
operated. In addition the Union has established a 
Free Reading Room. This is the room temporarily- 
occupied by the Bank in the house of Mrs. Edith- 
Jones, on Main street. The apartment is comfort- 
ably fitted up so as to constitute a cosy and' inviting- 
resort. On the book shelves are a number of 
good, readable books, and the number is increasing^ 
through private donations. Magazines and illus- 
trated papers are on the shelves and' on the tables. 
The Philadelphia daily papers, both morning and" 
evening, are placed on file as soon as received each- 
day. Writing utensils are conveniently placed. 
Those who relish a game of chess, checkers or 
backgammon can gratify their desire by using the 
handsome boards placed at their- disposal ; and' 
those who merely wish to sit and rest or talk, can 
have the fullest opportunity of doing so. The- 
room is open all day and every evening, and a cor- 
dial invitation is extended to all to come and make 
use of its resources and opportunities. It is a good 
place for a quiet hour of reading or writing and it: 
is a good place for a social chat. 



SOCIETIES AND INSTITUTI0N3. 



The Pursuing and Detective CoMrANV. — An 
other organization that is both aggressive and defen ■ 
sive in its character, but always in behalf of th ': 
public welfare, is the Moorestown Pursuing and 
Detective Company. It has for its object, as stated 
in its charter, "the detection, arrest and prosecution 
of burglars, horse-thieves and other depredators ; 
and the recovery of stolen property." It is a kind 
of modified vigilance committee, perfectly law-abid- 
ing, and acting as one of the instruments of the law. 
It is also, to some extent, an insurance company, 
paying within certain limits of value for the property 
stolen from members and not recovered. It is not 
difficult to realize how important a field of useful- 
ness is open to an organization of this kind in a 
rural community; and this one has done a vast 
amount of good by its energetic and well-directed 
efforts. The very knowledge of its existence and 
efficiency is in itself a protection to a greater or 
less extent. 

The company was organized February 6th, 1875, 
and was incorporated by the Legislature, by an act 
approved March 25th, 1875. The incorporators 
were Levi Ballinger, Levi L. Walton, Joshua Hol- 
linshead, Nathan S. Roberts, Eli Sharpiess, William 
Dunn Rogers, Charles Collins, Samuel C. DeCou,, 
Samuel Brown, Josiah Lippincott, William Dyer, J. 
Willits Worthington and Josiah D. Pancoast. The 
first officers were Charles Collins, President ; Frank 



2l6 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEV/. 

Garrigues, Secretary and Treasurer; J. Willits 
Worthington, Corresponding Secretary; and the 
above named incorporators as a Board of Directors. 

The constitution of the company provides that its 
officers shall consist of a President, Secretary, 
Treasurer, thirteen Directors and a Correspondent, 
to be annually chosen by ballot at a general meet- 
ing of the company, said officers ta continue in 
office for one year, or until their successors are 
elected. The offices of Secretary and Treasurer 
may be held by the same person, as they are nov/ 
and have been ever since the company was organ- 
ized. The Board of Directors are authorized to 
appoint or elect any number, not exceeding twenty, 
of detectives, or pursuers, and give to each a badge 
of office. The full number — twenty — are appointed 
each year. They are selected from Ihe members of 
the company, the selection being governed by the 
fitness of the person named for the work imposed 
upon him ; care being taken also to apportion the 
membership of the pursuing force as evenly as 
may be over the territory under the company's 
jurisdiction. 

Each pursuer has the power and authority of a 
constable, so far as it may be necessary to carry out 
the objects of the company, and may execute war- 
rants for that purpose, issued by justices of the 
peace and aldermen. While having the authority, 
they are also held liable to the responsibilities of 



SOCIEIIK> AND INSTITUTIONS. 21/ 

constables in the exercise of their power, except 
that they are not liable to perlbrni constables' 
services save as directed by the by-laws of the com- 
pany. They are not entitled to any fees or com- 
pensation except out of the company's funds. 
Under the by-laws each pursuer is entitled to four 
cents per mile, going and coming, as his mileage 
when in pursuit, and is to have other necessary ex- 
pense paid, as a majority of the Directors may deem 
reasonable. 

The funds of the company are provided by a sys- 
tem of membership fees, fines, etc. Each member, 
at the time of admission, pays into the treasury one 
dollar; and at each annual meeting thereafter he is 
required to pay a like amount, unless it shall be 
decided at the annual meeting that the annual dues 
shall be increased or diminished. Members who 
do not attend the meetings in time to pay their 
dues are liable to a fine of twenty-five cents unless 
excused. Each director and pursuer neglecting or 
refusing to perform the services required of him 
under the by-laws is required to pay a fine of five 
dollars into the treasury. The constitution also 
empowers the company to increase the fund, if 
necessary, by assessment levied on the members; 
and the fees, fines and assessments may be recov- 
ered by suit, brought in the name of the company, 
the same as any other debts of like amount. The 
annual meetings are held on the first Saturday in 



2ig MOORESTDWN, OLD AND NEW. 

January each year. One o'clock in the afternoon^ 
is the hour of meeting. Special meetings may be 
called by the company or the Board of Directors^ 
whenever they may be deemed necessary ; and the 
President has power to convene the Board of Di- 
rectors at any time in the interest of the company^ 

The company does not undertake to look after 
any property except that stolen from members, and 
its interests lie within a radius of six miles from 
Moorestown, as any person living beyond that dis- 
tance is not eligible for membership, and any mem- 
ber removing beyond that limit forfeits his place- 
in the company. A member is required to keep a> 
written description of all the horses and mules he- 
may own, specifying all marks and characteristics . 
by which they may be recognized. Wilful neglect 
to do this precludes any assistance being given by 
the company in recovering such animals in case: 
they are stolen. Any member who has had prop- 
erty to the amount of five dollars stolen is required 
to notify a Director of the fact, and also to give any 
information in his power respecting the theft and 
the supposed guilty parties. If such notification is 
not made within ten days of the discovery of the. 
theft the member forfeits all rights to the protection. 
and property of the company, and his name is. 
dropped from the rolls. 

As soon as he is notified by a member of loss 
sustained, a Director is required to take immediate. 



SOCIETIES AND INSTITUTIONS. 



2IC/ 



I 



action, such as he may deem best. Ordinarily the 
action taken is to call out the pursuer or pursuer:'; 
nearest to the despoiled member; but he can call 
all the Directors together for consultation if h<t 
thinks such a course necessary. Three of the Di- 
rectors are a sufficient number to offer any reward, 
payable out of the treasury of the company, for the 
arrest of a depredator or the return of stolen prop- 
erty. A pursuer, on being called upon, must at 
once set to work in his capacity of detective and 
arresting officer, and use his best endeavors to 
recover the stolen property and arrest the guilty 
parties. It is not always convenient, of course, and 
it is never very pleasant, but he cannot yield to 
such considerations ; he must at once leave his own 
interests and go whenever and wherever he is 
ordered to go by one of the Directors. Any mem- 
ber who has been selected as a pursuer must take 
the necessary affirmation and secure his badge 
within ten days of his appointment unless excused 
for good reasons. If he fails to do so, through 
neglect, or repugnance to the work involved, his 
name is dropped from the company's rolls. 

After all reasonable efforts have been made to 
recover the property stolen from a member it be- 
comes the duty of the Directors to pay the losing 
member a certain proportion of his loss. This pay- 
ment, however, is conditioned on several observ- 
ances. The owner of the stolen property must be 



220 iMOOKESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

clear on the Treasurer's books at the time of tlie 
theft ; the stolen property must not be covered by 
any insurance company that protects property from 
theft ; the member whose property has been taken 
must have informed one of the Directors of the theft 
within twenty-four hours of the discovery of his 
loss, and an application containing an itemized list 
of the stolen property shall have been presented to 
the Board of Directors on oath or affirmation on or 
before the 31st day of December of the year in 
which the loss occurred. These conditions being 
fulfilled the Directors assess the valuation of the 
stolen property and pay the loser a sum equivalent 
to two thirds of such valuation, provided that the 
amount to be paid shall not exceed two hundred 
dollars for a horse, or four hundred dollars for 
"any and all property that may be stolen from a 
member at any one time." 

The company is a potent agency in the cause of 
good order and good morals. In the pursuit of 
evil-doers its constabulary force are empowered to 
prosecute their work in adjoining counties, and so 
its power for achieving good results is not restricted. 
The good v/ork it has done has brought it more 
and more into favor with law-abiding citizens, and 
its membership has correspondingly increased. At 
the present time there are about two hundred mem- 
bers. The list of officers is as follows : President, 
William Dunn Rogers; Secretary and Treasurer, 



SOCIETIES AND I!:STITUT10\S. 



'21 



Frank Garrigues ; Correspondent, Benjamin H. Gil- 
jingham ; Directors, William Dunn Rogers, Benja- 
min H. Gillingham, Charles Andrews, John B. War- 
rick, Joseph H. Cole, Charles Collins, Samuel L. 
Burrough, Samuel S. Huston, William Dyer, John 
R. Mason, William T. Lippincott, William R. Lip- 
pincott, of Cinnaminson, Frank Garrigues. 

MooRESTOWN Agricultural and Industrial 
Association. — In an agricultural community there 
is almost no institution that exerts a stronger influ- 
ence for material good than the agricultural society 
in one or another of its modifications. It arouses 
new interest in the business of life. Its annual 
exhibitions give a chance for comparing different 
methods, and for rubbing ideas together. The 
competition gives a new zest to the work that may 
result in triumph ; and the effort to find the best 
way is sure to result in the discovery of some good 
way, even if it is not the best. Moreover, the yearly 
fair affords entertainment and recreation as effec- 
tively, in its way, as the opera, the theater, and the 
lecture in theirs. The general outcome is that the 
community is benefitted and does better work in a 
better way by reason of such organization. 

The Moorestown Agricultural and Industrial 
Society was organized under the State laws, and 
incorporated in March, 1880. The purpose of its 
originators and promotors was to establish a society 
which should be purely local in its character and 



^22 RiOORKSTOW:;, OLD AND NEW. 

direct results, stimulating tlie agriculturists of this 
part of the county to the improvement of stock and 
farm products. This purpose has been successfully 
carried out. The farmers hereabouts, some of them 
at least, are progressive men, keenly alert to dis- 
cover and try the best micthods and accomplish 
the best results. Friendly rivalry and competition 
among such men is sure to effect something worth 
effecting. In giving the opportunity for such com- 
petition, and encouraging it, the association is 
undertaking and is fulfilling a most worthy mission. 
The first Board of Directors of the association 
was composed of Levi Ballinger, William R. Lip- 
pincott, William Dunn Rogers, J. E. Watkins, S. C. 
Deacon, Josiah Lippincott, Howard Taylor, Thomas 
J. Beans, Joshua L. Haines, Clayton Conrow and 
Joseph H. Haines. The first officers chosen were: 
William Dunn Rogers, President ; Howard G. Tay- 
Vice-President ; J. E. Watkins, Recording Secre- 
tary; Thomas J. Beans, Corresponding Secretary; 
Josiah Lippincott, Treasurer; T.J. Beans, W. D. 
Rosrers, Levi Ballinq-er, Salmuel C. DeCou and 
H. G. Taylor, Executive Committee. The stock of 
the society was divided into four hundred shares, 
of ^10 each. The annual meetings are held on the 
first Saturday in February in each year. The 
standard set up by the originators of the enterprise 
is indicated by an article in the constitution, which 



but^lKTlES AND INSTlTUiiwNS. 22 3 

'declares that "at the exhibitions of this societv 
horse-racing, side shows, and all gambling institu- 
tions that tend to demoralize rather than elevate 
society will not be allowed or tolerated." 

Of course an important feature of such an organ- 
ization is the annual exhibition. The Moorestown 
Fair is held each spring and autumn, and is an event 
of interest to all classes of the population. In seek- 
ing for suitable grounds whereon to place their 
buildings and hold their exhibitions the members 
■of the association were so fortunate as to secure a 
location that combined a large proportion of desir- 
able qualifications. The convenience of the situa- 
tion for both exhibitors and visitors especially 
commends it. The ground formed a part of the 
farm owned by Mrs. Mary LIppIncott, whose 
"boarding school v/as formerty so prominent an in- 
^titutlan here. The enclosure is about seven acres 
in extent and Is situated some distance East of the 
East Moorestown station. It is directly on the 
railroad, on the North side cf the track. A station 
has lately been built almost at the gates of the 
•grounds, and besides being so accessible by rail- 
road it is equally so by driving roads. The fair 
grounds are surrounded by a substantial fence, and 
are well supplied with the necessary buildings. 
These are of a kind suitable for agricultural, horti- 
cultural, mechanical and stock exhibitions. The 



2 24 LIOORESTUWN, OLD AND NEW. 

Main Building was a donation from the Cam Jen 
and Amboy Railroad Company, and was fu.merly 
the company's repair shop at Bordentown. 

At the time this is written a railroad switch is 
about being- constructed close to the grounds, so 
that all exhibits addressed to Fair Grounds Station 
can be taken on the cars directly to their place of 
deslination. A steam engine, with shafting attached, 
furnislies motive power for machinery that depends 
upon that kind of power; and teams are provided 
by tlie society to run the horse-machinery at the 
trials held at the exhibitions. These trials of 
various kinds of agricultural machinery have al- 
ready become events of recognized importance, and 
the i\Ioorestown Exhibition has taken rank as an 
important machinery fair. Manufacturers, agents 
and purchasers acknowledge the fact and govern 
themselves accordingly. 

Growers of small fruits are encouraged to make 
manifest here the best that can be done in their line, 
and the exhibitions uniformly attest the high ex- 
cellence achieved by our local cultivators. The 
same is true of frui'.s in general. Garden vegeta- 
bles are also given due importance in the offering 
of premiums at the fair, and this part of the exhibi- 
tion is always of interest. The exhibition of plants 
and flowers is freely encouraged by the offer of 
premiums for professional and amateur displays. 
Dairy products hold an important phce, of course; 



SOCIETIES AND INSTITUTIONS. 22 C 

and all results of farm industry, as well as the 
appliances for promoting it and obtaining- the best 
returns, are exhibited in friendly and interesting 
rivalry. 

The ladies are given an equal opportunity and en- 
couragement by the institution of the Home Depart- 
ment. Premiums are offered for the most appetiz- 
ing array of good things to eat ; and the young; 
girls are stimulated to do their best in the way of 
bread-baking. Then, to give a chance to those not 
included in any of the regularly scheduled classes, 
special premiums are offered for special kinds of 
work. Sometimes it is home-made dresses ; some^ 
times a local map ; sometimes one thing and some- 
times another. By reason of the comprehensive 
range taken by the society it has established a hold 
on all classes in the community, and everybody 
takes a more or less personal interest in its progress 
and achievements. 

The present officers of the society are as follows : 
President, Levi Ballinger; Vice-President, George 
L. GilHngham ; Directors, Levi Ballinger, Josiali 
Lippincott, Chalkley B. Zelley, David Roberts, 
Samuel S. Huston, George T. Haines, Maurice B. 
Comfort, Benjamin H. GilHngham, Levi Rogers, 
Frank Garrigues, John M. Lippincott. Sqmuel L. 
Burrough, George L. Gillingham ; Recording Sec- 
retary, Frank Garrigues ; Corresponding Secretary, 
George T. Haines; Treasurer, John M. Lippincott; 



226 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND xNE\v. 

Executive Committee, Benjamin H. Gillinghan.-, 
Chalkley B. Zelley and John M. Lippincott. 

The Chester Club. — A private club, composed 
of private gentlemen, and organized for exclusively 
social purposes is not a legitimate subject for de- 
tailed public comment. The Chester club must be 
mentioned, however, as occupying a position unique 
am.ong the institutions of Moorestown. It was 
organized January ist, 1881, with the sole purpose 
of social intercourse and recreation. The rules 
governing the club are very strict. Liquor is 
rigidly banished from its quarters, and nothing 
in the semblance of gambling is tolerated. The 
means of recreation are abundant ; and the idea of 
a high-class social club is put into practise. 

The club room is located in the upper part of 
George Heaton's store, at the corner of Main street 
and Church Road. It is handsomely furnished, 
and is amply provided with the appliances of 
a pleasant reading room and place of recreative 
resort. The club numbers between twenty and 
thirty members. 

Secret Societies. — Of secret societies, beneficial 
and otherwise, there is a goodly representation 
liere. The Odd Fellows — who came by their very 
peculiar name no man knows how, and who are no 
more odd than their fellow men — have two organiza- 
tions here, an encampment and a lodge. Powhatan 
Encampment No. 30 has a present membership of 



I 



SOCIETIES AND INSTITUTIONS. 



22/ 



•over a hundred. The regular conclaves are held 
•on the first and third Monday evening of each 
month in the hall in the upper part of E. B. Brov/n 
•& Brother's store building. Pocahontas Lodge No. 
107 holds its regular meetings in the same place on 
Thursday evening of each week. It has a large mem- 
bership. A very considerable amount has been paid 
■out in benefits to members and their families 
since the institution of the Lodge, and there is a 
goodly surplus now in the treasury. 

The Order of United American Mechanics — the 
name for which the mystic letters " O. U. A. M." 
stand is represented here by two councils. They are 
the Chester Council and the Moorestown Council. 
Each has a large membership and both hold regular 
weekly meetings in the hall over Brown's store. 

The Ancient Order of United Workmen also has 
an organization here, with a large membership ; and 
the Improved Order of Red Men has a Tribe — 
Mineola Tribe No. 57 — which now numbers some- 
thinof over a hundred members. The tribe was 
instituted in Masonville, and removed to Moores- 
town in 1883 or 1884. 

There is a Grange here, strong in numbers and 
actively prosperous. Heretofore it has had its 
-headquarters in a frame building on the South side 
of Main street a little way East of the Friends' 
Meeting Houses. Recently it purchased the prop- 
.erty where the old blacksmith shop stood, on the 



228 MOOUESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

North side of Main street, East of George K. 
Doughten's store. On this property the Grangers 
are erecting a large brick building, the lower por- 
tion of which is to be occupied as a Grange store,. 
and the upper part fitted up for a Grangers'' Hall. 

The Grand Army of the Republic has its repre- 
sentation in the E. D. Baker Post, which has its 
meeting hall over A. L. Brock's store on Main street 
West of Church Road. The Masons have not, as 
yet, any lodge here, but the establishment of one 
is now in contemnlation.. 



i I 

I 



i 



Chapter XV. 

The Nezvs of the Day. 

N his very charming "Back Log Studies" 
Charles Dudley Warner relates how, one day 

in the dead of winter, when he was snow- 

"'^^ bound and scant of resources, he discovered 
a daily newspaper and began the reading of it with 
keen pleasure. He read the news, foreign and 
'domestic, and felt himself once more in contact 
with the active affairs of the world. The whole 
experience was eminently satisfactory until he 
•chanced upon a paragraph announcing the death 
•of a man in the streets of Boston the day before 
from sun-stroke. That seemed queer winter news, 
•and the reader looked at the date of the paper. It 
had been published the previous summer ! Imme- 
diately his satisfaction was changed to disgust, and 
he read no more of the stale news. What he had 
read had all been new to him, and was very inter- 
esting so long as he supposed the events described 
had just happened; but with the knowledge that 
they had happened last summer all interest in them 

■vanished. 

(229) 



230 



MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 



He was like all the rest of us ; and the little 
incident he so pleasantly describes illustrates, for- 
one thing, how retentively we read our newspapers. 
Last summer's news is quite fresh again by next 
winter, and the Associated Press would be tolerably 
safe in using year-old dispatches over again. But 
chiefly the incident emphasizes the universal passion 
for news. We all want to know what has happened, 
and are best pleased when there are a multitude of 
happenings to read or hear about. But that is not 
all. The events described may be of the utmost 
importance and interest, and revealed to us now 
for the first time ; but unless they happened to-day, 
or yesterday at farthest, we have been swindled and 
are resentful. The news we have must be the: 
news of the day. 

The facilities a community enjoys for obtaining 
and distributing intelligence — for holding commu- 
nication with the rest of the world — have come to 
be accepted as a pretty accurate gauge of its char- 
acter and importance. The greater the number of 
mails that arrive and depart every day, the higher 
the rank of the town ; if it has a telegraph office it 
advances an additional claim to respect ; i( it pos- 
sesses a telephone exchange it is well abreast of 
the times ; if it has all these and a newspaper be- 
sides, it is a place well worth living in. Moores- 
town fulfills all these conditions and is to be rated 
accordingly. The mails come and go with con- 



THE MEWS OF THE DAY. 2^1 

venient frequency; telegraphic messages can be 
sent and received ; telephonic conversations can be 
held, and the town has its own newspaper as well 
as such of the city dailies as the people desire. 

The Postoffice.— The Postoffice is a compara- 
tively modern institution in Moorestown. The old 
town had to wait a hundred years and more for it. 
So late as 1791 there were only six postoffices in 
the entire state of New Jersey, and none of them 
were in Burlington county. IMoorestown had to 
v/ait until eleven years later than that date for the 
enjoyment of postal privileges. In the meantime it 
depended for its share of news on such means as are 
always in operation. Travelers brought frequent 
reports from the outside world ; the memory of 
man goeth not back to the time when quilting 
parties or their equivalent did not exist ; and there 
probably never was a community yet that did not 
have within its limits some of those mysteriously- 
endowed people who always know everything that 
happens, and have special facilities for telling it. 

Still the systematic and regularly organized ma- 
chinery for the reception and distribution of outside 
intelligence was very desirable, and we n:ay well 
believe that when the postoffice was established 
here, in the year 1802, it was cordially v;j!comed 
and made much of The first postmaster was Isaac 
Wilkins,and he held his commission under Thomas 
Jefferson's administration. But where he established. 



232 MOORESTOWfT. OT,r» AND NEW. 

his office seciii.s to bo .'i tiling past finding out. It 
is quite within the range of possibilities that ho 
carried it about with him ; for in those days pockets 
were large and the mails presumably small ; and 
even now, according to report, there are postoffices 
established in very simply arranged cigar boxes 
and hat-crowns. It is supposed, however, that the 
first Moorestown postoffice was kept in a tavern on 
Main streel below Church Road, but of this there is 
no certainty. 

How long Isaac Wilkins served his neighbors 
as postmaster is not known. Neither is it known 
who was his successor, or how long he held 
the position. After a time (how long a time is 
uncertain) Gilbert Page assumed the duties and 
responsibilities of the postmastership. He lived on 
Main street, in the house now owned and occupied 
by Ebenezer Roberts, nearly opposite the William 
Penn Hotel. He had a store in one part of his 
residence, and here he kept the postofifice. We 
may safely conclude that the postal arrangements 
did not occupy much room, and that the affairs of 
the store were not seriously interfered with. When 
Mr. Page's term of office began, or under hov/ 
many administrations he served are things un- 
known ; but he was postmaster here for many 
years — so long, indeed, that going to Page's store 
for the mail became so much a matter of habit that, 
after the office was established elsewhere, people 



THE NEWS OF THE DAY. 233 

frequently walked past the new office up to Page's, 
from sheer force of custom, and then had to walk 
back again, from force of changed cirsumstances. 

The postoffice passed out of Gilbert Page's hands 
into those of William Doughten, father of our 
townsman, George F. Doughten. Mr. Doughten 
was proprietor of the Washington Hotel, and to 
that place the office was removed, and there it 
remained for a term of years, for Mr. Page's suc- 
cessor held the position for a long time, as seems 
to have been quite the customary thing in those 
days. Changes of administration did not always 
bring about a change in the postoffice, but they did 
sometimes, and when Martin Van Buren succeeded 
Andrew Jackson in the Presidency there was a 
more or less general "rotation in office." 

Among the events of the time was a change in 
the Moorestown postoffice. William Doughten 
was replaced in the position by William Collins. 
Mr. Collins was commissioned in 1839, by Post- 
master General Amos Kendall. He removed the 
office to the building that stood where Brown's 
store now stands. A one-story brick building then 
occupied the site. It had formerly been a black- 
smith shop, but had been remodelled into a store. 
Here Mr. Collins arranged his postof^ce boxes. 
They were by no means so elaborate as they are 
now. There were no lock-boxes, no boxes for 
individual hold:rs to rent— no glazed and num- 



234 



MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 



bered pigeon-holes at all. A large drawer was 
divided into compartments, these compartments 
were lettered in alphabetical order, and when the 
mail brought a letter for Mr. Smith it was put in 
the "S" box; if a letter came for Mr. Jones it was 
put in the "J" box, and so on. 

The tenure of office had manifested!/ become 
less fixed than it had hitherto been; for after Gen.. 
Harrison took the Presidency in 1841 Mr. CoIHns 
relinquished the postmastership. His successor 
was George F. Doughten, son of jNIr. Collins' imme- 
diate predecessor. Mr. Doughten removed the 
office to his store, and the people had to accustom 
themselves to seek their mail in East Moorestown. 
instead of the western and middle sections. But 
John Tyler succeeded Harrison in a month's time.. 
The postoffice did not change hands so speedily as 
that, of course, but under Tyler there vvas a general 
readjustment, and after serving a year in the posi- 
tion Mr. Doughten was rotated out of office and 
Mr. Collins, whom he had replaced, was rotated in 
again and replaced him in turn ; so that this gentle- 
man had the rather unusual experience of being; 
the successor in office of father and son consecu- 
tively. Mr. Collins received his second commission; 
from President Tyler's Postmaster General in 1842, 
and continued in office until 1S46, when President 
Polk's administration resulted in another change. 
He re-established the office in the quarters it had. 



THE NEWS OF THE DAY. 



235 



occupied during his first term, and retained it there 
intil his second term was ended. 

In 1846 Mr. Collins was succeeded in the post- 
-nastership by James Davis. Under the new admin- 
istration the postofficc was again moved to other 
quarters, but to quarters that were not unfamiliar 
to it or the public. It went back once more to the 
building it had occupied when Gilbert Page was 
postmaster. Gilbert Page no longer kept the store 
there, however, but had been succeeded by Mr. 
Alfred Burr, who had previously been clerk in 
Page's store. Mr. Davis did not himself attend 
the office, but employed William W. Leeds as his 
deputy. 

At the end of his official term Mr. Davis was 
succeeded by this same William Leeds, who had 
attended the office for him, and who retained the 
office through several terms, still retaining it in 
Burr's store. Mr. Leeds continued to hold the 
position until the beginning of President Lincoln's 
administration brought about a change in post- 
masterships, as in most other things. By this time 
Mr. Burr had erected his present store building on 
the North side of Main street. Elwood Stratton had 
kept a drug store in a small frame building that 
had previously occupied the site, and in the new 
'ouilding erected by Mr. Burr he still had accommo- 
dation. The building was arranged as it is now, 
with a drug-store beside the store kept by Mr, 



236 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

Burr, and Mr. Stratton continued his business in 
that part of the building where Walter Reeve now 
has his drug-store. 

Under President Lincoln Mr. Stratton was made 
postmaster, to succeed Mr. Leeds, and he estab- 
lished the postoffice in his drug-store ; so it was 
still in Burr's building, and altogether Mr. Burr 
furnished postal accommodations for the town for 
a good many years. Mr. Stratton continued in 
office through the administration of Presidents Lin- 
coln and Johnson, and tlirough President Grant's 
first term. Then he wis succeded by his son, 
Henry Stratton, who retained the office in the same 
place. He only held the office one year, or a little 
over. 

On the 9th of December, 1874, J. Willetts Wor- 
thingioii was appointed postmaster. His commis- 
sion was issued by Marshall Jewell, Postmaster 
General during President Grant's second term. 
Moving day had come again for the postoffice, and 
it was established in the new postmaster's drug- 
store, where it has ever since remained. Mr. Wor- 
thington at the beginning of his term arranged the 
box window and lock boxes as they are at present, 
and made adequate provisions for transacting the 
increased business of the office. He served during 
the remainder of Grant's administration, through 
the term of President Hayes, and through the 
tragically ended administration of President Garfield. 



THE NEWS OF THE DAY. 



237 



In July, 1882, the office was raised to the rank of a 
Presidential appointment, and Mr. Worthington was 
reappointed to the postmastership by President 
Arthur. His second commission bears date July 
6th, 1882, and is signed with the autographs of 
Chester A. Arthur, President, and T. O. Howe, Post- 
master General. 

In the autumn of 1883 Mr. Worthington resigned 
the postmastership, his private business making it 
inconvenient for him to attend to official duties. 
His resignation took effect September 30th, 1883. 
Thomas M. Pancoast was appointed his successor, 
and on the 1st of October, 1883, assumed the 
duties of the position. President Cleveland on 
coming into office did not disturb the Moorestown 
postoffice, and Mr. Pancoast still remains in charge 
of it, to the satisfaction and advantage of the 
community. 

This was made a money order office July ist, 
1869; and on July ist, 1883, the first postal note 
was issued by the office. Three mails are received 
and three are sent out each day. Things have 
changed mightily since the time of Postmaster 
Wilkins; and if that public functionary could step 
into the postoffice to-day to see how things were 
going he would be sorely tumbled up and down in 
his mind at the revolution that has been effected. 
The box window would bewilder him ; the number 
of letters to be handled would appal him ; he would 



2^8 MO ORK.srOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

be helpless in the presence of a money order, and 
what on earth to do with a postage stamp would 
be a thing past finding out. 

The Telegraph. — Wherever the railroad goes, 
tliere the telegraph is very sure to go also ; and it 
is never very long in following, even if the wires 
and the rails do not come along at the same time. 
The lines of the Western Union Telegraph Com- 
pany accompanied the railroad on its way through 
here,; but the telegraph did not "stop off" here at 
first. When the West Moorestown station was 
established, however, in the early part of 187 r, a 
telegraph office was one of the features of the new 
arrangement. Mr. Robert Stimus, the station 
agent, was the telegraph operator also, and he has 
continued to combine the duties of the two offices 
ever since. 

The primary function of the telegraph station 
here is to do the necessary work of the railroad 
company; but in addition to that a large number 
of private messages are all the time received and 
sent:; and messages received are very promptly 
delivered at their places of address. So the tele- 
graph is an institution of great convenience to the 
public, notwithstanding the rather out-of-the-way 
location of the office. Efforts have been made 
from time to time to establish an office in a more 
central and convenient position, for the sole use of 
the public. The efforts have thus far been unsuc- 



I 



THE NEWS OF THE DAY. 239 

^cc^sful ; but the desired improvement is only a 
question of time, and probably not a very long 
time. In the meantime the telegraph facilities as 
they now exist are a source of eminent satisfaction 
•to the community. 

The Newspaper. — This is a reading community, 
and always has been. The literature of the day is 
kept well in hand, and the magazines as well as 
the newspapers find a large circle of readers here. 
The newspapers in particular are liberally subscribed 
ifor, and the carrier of the news depot has a long 
'list of subscribers to serve each day with the various 
Philadelphia dailies, while the postoffice distributes 
a fair share of the New York dailies and weeklies 
to the box holders. Not only does this apply to 
the village population, but the country all around 
is inhabited by reading people to whom the news- 
paper is as much a need as sugar for their coffee. 

To such a community a newspaper of its own 
was a thing to be wished for, and to be cordially 
welcomed when it came. Come it did at last, 
although not until the opportunity for it had long 
been ripe. On the lOth day of December, 1879 ^^^ 
first number of the Chronicle was issued, with the 
announcement that it was to be a weekly paper of 
■independent politics. The principal proprietor of 
the new enterprise was Mr. J. E. Watkins who had 
for some time been a resident of Moorestown. Mr. 
W. J. Lovell, a thorough practical printer, came 



240 



MOORESTOWN. OLD AND NEV/. 



here from Philadelphia to conduct the enterprise. 
At first the style of the firm was Watkins & Co. 
That title was retained for a little over a year and 
on January ist, 1 88 1, was changed to Watkins & 
Lov^ell, Mr. Lovell having taken an interest in the 
business. On the i8th of June, 1883 Mr. W;^tkins 
retired from the firm, Mr. Lovell becoming sole 
proprietor, as he has ever since remained. 

For a time the paper led a wandering life, and 
circulated in^two ways — among its subscribers, and 
from one publication office to another. It was first 
issued from a room in the lower part of Mr. James 
Sankey's old furniture shop — the building that 
stood on the site now occupied by the Bank build- 
ing. Before the paper had been in existence three 
months a fire, caused by spontaneous combustion, 
broke out in the upper part of the old building, 
destroying the rear portion of it. Moorestown's 
volunteer department, with its hand engine, saved 
the rest of the building, but in the process pretty 
effectively deluged the newspaper office. The com- 
bined effects of fire and water rendered necessary a 
removal, and the ClLronicle found temporary quar- 
ters in the building owned by Mr. George F. 
Doughten, now occupied by Worrel's plumbing 
shop, above Chester avenue. It remained here a 
few weeks, and then removed to the upper part of 
what was then A. W. Deacon's store, and is now 
Charles Evans' flour and feed store. An outside 



THE NEWS OF THE DAY. 2"Ai 

stairway was constructed to give access to the office. 
This location was not so favorable as could be 
desired, and after a few months spent there the office 
kvas again removed, this time to the upper part o: 
:he Post Office building. The business of the news- 
paper, and the job office connected therewith, speed- 
ily grew to such proportions that steam power and 
manifold other improvements became necessary, to 
supersede the simpler mechanism with which the 
work had been begun. Steam power and heavy 
machinery could not be used in the second story oi. 
the postoffice, so at the end of six months that loca- 
tion was abandoned, and quarters taken up in a 
portion of H. W. Doughten's warehouse building 
on Chester avenue, just North of the railroad. In 
the new location steam power was added to the 
resources of the establishment and adequate ma- 
chinery put to work. The paper was enlarged and 
the general facilities for newpaper and job work 
were increased. 

The removal to H. W. Doui^hten's buildincf was 
made in January, i88i, and the Chro?iicle remained 
thereuntil the summer of 1885. That season the 
CJironicU Building on the West side of Chester 
avenue, just South of the railroad, was constructed. 
It is a two-story brick building, of ample size, and 
well supplied with steam machinery for executing 
the constantly increasing work of the office. The 
new building was taken possession of the ist oi 



242 MOORESTOVVN, OLD AND NEW. 

August, 1885. The Chro7iicle \?, entirely indepen- 
dent in politics, but by no means neutral. It has a 
g-Qod circulation, which is increasins^ • and it is 
likely to become a more and more important factor 
in the hfe of the place. 

The Telephone. — Long-distance conversation 
is within the resources of the Moorestown residents, 
as well as the older methods of communication; 
and any one desiring to do so can stand in the 
front part of the postoffice building and shout 
" Hello, hello!" so as to be heard in Philadelphia, 
or farther away. The telephone took its place 
among our local institutions in 1885. J. WiUits 
Worthlngton is manager, and the exchange is 
located in his drug-store. Connections are made 
East and West, and through the Philadelphia office 
Moorestown is within talking range of any place 
in the circuit of telephone comnmunication. Mr. 
Worthlngton was the first subscriber for an instru- 
ment, and Mr. H. W. Doughten was the second. 



I 



Chapter XVI. 

llie New Station. 

^^^ SUBURBAN town must have a railroad 
,,h^f| station, of course. Otherwise the town 
4^£\^\ is not suburban but rustic. A railroad 

>^f^ station makes it next door neighbor to 
• the rest of the world. Two stations place 
it on a footing of intimacy with mankind at large. 
Moorestown has three, and a three-station town 
that does not take on more or less of metropolitan 
airs may be considered pretty well balanced. Per- 
liaps it is because she Is steadied by the sobering 
influences of two centuries that our old town does 
:not show any signs of skittishness, even now when 
-she offers three halting places for the trains. 

The new station, the third on the list,was erected 
-early in the spring of 1886. It Is small, but as 
-pretty a building as one need desire to see. It Is a 
Queen Ann structure of brick, with a tiled roof and 
and stained glass windows. Its location is about 
two-thirds of a mile East of the East Moorestown 
station, near the entrance to the Fair Grounds. 
-A street, called "Fair Grounds Avenue"— which^ 

(243) 



244 



MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 



by the way, is the name given to the station — has 
been opened from Main street to the raih-oacl, at 
the end of the station platform, and a plank side- 
walk constructed the entire distance. 

Thus a new convenience has been given to 
comers and goers, and a new means of communica- 
tion established with a very delightful portion of 
Moorestown. There are many people living at the 
Eastern extremity of the town who will appreciate 
the closer proximity to railroad privileges. A half 
mile walk as the preface or appendix to a day's 
business or shopping in the city is not always 
desirable, and not everybody keeps a carriage. 
Under the new order of things East Moorestown 
station is not the Hobson's choice of those living 
towards Mrs. Lippincott's old boarding school 
v/hen they want to take a train. 

With this addition to its facilities Moorestown 
may freely extend Itself to the East as well as to the 
North. From old times a good many homes have 
been located well to the Eastward along Main 
street, and of late more have been established there 
— some of them elegant and attractive In the ex- 
treme. Distance from the center of the town does 
not involve so much inconvenience now as formerly, 
for all the dealers in the place send out order and 
delivery wagons for the convenience of customers. 
That part of the town is a very choice one for resi- 
dences, and many v/ho have looked Vv'istfully in 



THE NEW STATION. 245 

that direction have been deterred from establishing 
their homes there only by the inconvenience caused 
by the distance from the railroad station. The 
distance from the town center need not interfere 
with going and coming if one has time. But to 
catch a train from tliere required such a careful and 
troublesome economizing of time that it amounted 
to a serious obstacle. That obstacle is now re- 
moved, for already trains stop at the new station on 
signal, and it will eventually have its due place on 
the time-table. 

When the Telford pavement has been completed, 
this section of the town will be still more attractive 
and desirable ; for then the walk or drive " into 
town" will be even more of a pleasure than it is 
now. The drive will also be an attractive pleasure 
for others than those who live in East End, and 
the road v/ill much of the time be gay and lively 
with tlie turn-outs of pleasurers. This will afford 
an added satisfaction to the dwellers in the beauti- 
ful region along the road, furnishing an animated 
spectacle which it v/ill be very pleasant to look 
upon. So, with the railroad and the new pavement 
as resources, there certainly would be no isolation 
for the dwellers in the Eastern extremity of the 
town, and the inconvenience of residence there will 
be reduced to its minimum. 

As was to have been expected private enterprise 
lias seen all these advantages, and is ready to avail 



246 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

itself of them. The only wonder Is that the steps: 
now taken were not taken earlier. They have beea 
taken at all events, and as private enterprise is 
always an important element o^ public enterprise, 
this movement must take Its place as a matter of 
history. So much of the farm of Mrs. Mary Llppln- 
cott as remained unsold, comprising about thirty- 
one acres, and Includlncr the old residence which 
was for so many years the boarding- school building, 
has been purchased and .laid off in building lots. 
Fair Grounds avenue has been opened along the 
Western side of the property, from Main street to 
the railroad. Other streets, parallel to this, are to 
be opened, and an avenue constructed through the 
tract, parallel with Main street. On these street 
lines the lots are laid out. The condlt'ons of sale 
prohibit the erection of buildings for purposes pre- 
judicial to health or comfort, and building lines, 
along the different avenues as established. The 
suggestion is made to set apart a portion of the 
tract for the erection of a chapel and school-house. 
Whether this will be done or not is uncertain. If 
it should be, a still further convenience will be. 
afforded the dwellers in that region. 

All things considered — the advantages offered 
by the new improvement company, and the advan- 
tages existing aside from that organization — it 
jieems probable that the new station will become 
•^'he nucleus of an important and most desirable.- 



THE NEW STATiaN. 



24r 



extension of Moorestown ; an extension that will 
in time assume as important relations to the older 
portions of the place as those now held by the ex- 
tension North of the railroad. 



f> 



Chapter XVU 
In Later War Times. 
S^'OilTH, South, East or West, there Is not a 



Sk 



) hamlet so remote that it has not some 



^J:X>?^ hnk of association connectinsf it with 
sSM^ "war times." Every community has in 
it at least one or two men — they are 
gray-headed and grizzly-bearded now, probably, and 
are apt to be a little stooped as to the shoulders — 
who make an occasional remark beginning : " When 
I was in the army." This one has a bullet hole 
somewhere about him ; that one *' came out without 
a scratch," but finds himself a good deal older now 
than he would have been if he had spent those 
three or four years in houses instead of tents and 
bivouacs ; and another one is short in his account 
of legs or arms. There is pretty certain to be one 
or more of these men to remind the generation that 
is going down and the generation that is coming 
up of the terrible episode that grew into one of the 
world's mightiest tragedies. Other reminders make 
mute signals from every country grave>yard, nc 
less eloquent than those from stately cemeteries anc 
national burial places. The green mound bchiiiJ 
(24S) 



IN lATZR WAR TIMES. 



249 



a country cliurch shows as distinctly as the most 
elaborate monum -it where a sleeping soldier has 
his place in th^ "bivouac of the dead." Other 
reminders, again, stir and cry out in the hearts that 
have not, after all these years, forgotton to ache for 
the soldier who never came bick, even to the quiet 
rest of the church-vard cfrave. 

That later war sent the eddies of its fierce tide 
into quiet Moorestown, as into every other place, 
quiet or unquiet, great or small, near or remote. 
Little fluttering flags in every grave-yard in the 
place, mark to-day where "the silent tents are 
spread" of some of the great army of soldiers 
Avhose warfare is all accomplished. Even in the 
Friends' Cemetery the fluttering signal is seen, and 
the sleep that follows the health of peace has fellovv'- 
ship with the sleep that ends the fever of war. 
There is nothing strange in such fellowship to those 
of us who remember those wonderful years. The 
furnace heats in which the nation v/as moulded 
anew^ softened the elements of every community 
and welded them into a closer brotherhood. 

.The Friends are a war-condemning people, but 
to country and to principle they are loyal through 
and through. So wlien the Civil War burst upon 
us in 1 86 1 the Friends, here as well as elsewhere, 
were placed in a very trying position. They could 
not sanction the doing of evil that good might come, 
h\\\ the good that wis sought throug^h the evil of war 



2^0 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

was as dear to them, and was as earnestly and" 
zealously hoped and striven for by thein, as by any 
man who drew a sword or shouldered a musket. 
They must deprecate the means which were em- 
ployed, and which they were powerless to change or 
modify, but they could not but hope and pray for 
the result that was striven for. The cause of the 
Union had no more loyal adherents than they ; the 
zvar for the Union was, in their estimation, bad, as 
all war is bad. If any war could have seemed 
rieht to them this war would have see-ii^d so; and 
since war was the means appointed to accomplish 
the purpose in view, and the saving of the Union 
depended on the successful issue of the war, they 
must hope for that issue. 

The position of the Friends was appreciated and 
fully respected by both President Lincoln and 
Secretary Stanton. Their principles as non-com- 
batants did not, in the minds of these men, conflict 
with their standing as thoroughly loyal citizens, 
and were entitled to the utmost consideration. 
This consideration they received. In some in- 
r>tances Friends who were drafted for the army 
ivere held exempt, and in others they were assigned 
to non-combatant duty. The volunteer service 
f;hey rendered in hospitals and in the promotion of 
uanitary enterprises, needs not the telling. Its 
record is preserved in the grateful recollection ol 
man:.' a sick and wounded soldier. 



IN LATER VVAk h*JES. 



2S1> 



111 those later war times Tvloorestov/n and the- 
region around it were not so exclusively populated 
by the Friends as in the Revolutionary days. The>^ 
still constituted a large and a strong elem.ent ; but 
there were other elements here that were also strong 
and active. A large proportion of the community 
gave to the war the sympathy and sanction which 
the Friends reserved for the object of the war; and 
among these the war fever burned hotly and with- 
out intermission. A goodly number put on the 
blue, took sword or musket and marched away to 
the front ; and straightway that part of the front 
where " our boys" were became the center of 
interest for those who staid at home. With but 
few exceptions — just enough to emphasize the. 
rule — the community was a unit in its steadfast 
and enthusiastic endorsement of the National cause; 
and this remained true all through the war. Vic- 
tories were greatly rejoiced in; reverses were 
grievously deplored ; the news of the doings at 
*'the front" was eagerly snatched at and earnestl)^ 
discussed ; excited and enthusiastic meetings were 
held as special points of interest commanded 
attention; a battle in which "our boys" suffered — 
and such battles were many — was mourned over 
as if the soldiers who were stricken had shared 
kindred with the entire population instead of with 
single families in it; and the while the quiet work 
of aiding and cheering the soldiers in material ways. 



2^2 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

went on, and some in the community, more par- 
ticularly the women, actively co-operated with the 
larger work that was doing in Philadelphia. In 
short, as it was in almost every city, town and 
hamlet throughout the North, so it was here. The 
war and the issue for which it was fought con- 
stituted the one great interest of life ; and the daily 
hopes and fears of every individual were shaped and 
colored by its ebb and flow, as the sand is influenced 
by the coming and going of the ocean's tide. 

But the hoarse echo from Sumter swelled quickly 
into a loud rallying cry for soldiers. Its note pene- 
trated to the remotest recess, and everywhere it 
was heeded and answered — can any of us every 
forget with what tumultous eagerness ? Here, as 
elsewhere, the answer was prompt and emphatic. 
The interest in the war was not of a kind to expend 
itself wholly in good wishes and anxious hopes. 
It must have its active part in the great chapter of 
history the country was writing. Moorestown was 
a much smaller place then than it is now ; but it 
was large enough, with its immediate neighborhood, 
to furnish its share of " boys in blue." A com- 
pany, made up almost wholly of men from this 
town and the close vicinity, was organized here, 
amid great enthusiasm. The company, when fully 
made up, comprised ninety-seven officers and en- 
listed men. It was when the war was new, in that 
never-to-be-forgotten summer of 1861, that this 



IN LATER WAR TIME.:. 



25 s 



band of soldiers was recruited. For several weeks 
before their departure for the scene of active service 
they were quartered in the Town Hall, and were in 
the heartiest and most cordial fashion the guests of 
the community. Everywhere the soldiers were tht 
aristocracy then ; and the Town Hall was not so 
much the barracks as the reception room of the 
soldiers. And how bountifully they were supplied 1. 
The best from every household was generously^ 
contributed to the soldiers. Housewives baked 
noble batches of fresh bread daily for the " boys in 
the hall"; and every substantial and delicacy that 
stomach could crave was freely sent in from far and 
near. The soldiers uniformed themselves before 
leaving here, and money contributions to help them 
do this were freely tendered. Indeed there were 
almost none in the entire community, of whatever 
denomination or belief, who did not in some v/ajr 
give practical expression to the cordial sentiment 
that prevailed. 

Toward the middle of August the company left 
here for Trenton ; and there on the 15th of August, 
1 86 1, it was mustered into the United States ser- 
vice for three years. It was attached to the Fourth 
Regiment , New Jersey Volunteers, and was Com- 
pany " E" of that regiment. The commissioned 
officers chosen before the company left here were : 
Charles Hall, Captain; William II. Eldridge, First 
L'cutcnant and Sanuiel Ellis S-CD;id Eieutenant, 



254 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

^Gcorg-e Brooks was Orderly Sergeatif on leaving- 
liere ; but not long after he was promoted and 
Thomas Makin became Orderly and held the posi- 
tion until the term of service expired. On the 2ist 
of August the regiment arrived in Washington and 
went into camp at Fairfax Seminary, Va., with the 
First Second and Third New Jersey Regiments. 
They formed the First Brigade, First Division of 
the First Corps of the Army of the Potomac. The 
Brigade was commanded by ''Gallant Phil Kearney" 
■of the Regular Army. Gen. McDowell was the 
Corps Commander until the Peninsula Campaign 
when the Division was made the First Division 
of the Sixth Corps, commanded by Gen. Franklin. 
Durmg its term of service (which lasted until the 
end of the war, for it re-enlisted) the regiment took 
part in the following engagements, exclusive of 
numerous skirmishes of which no mention is made : 
West Point, Va., May 7, 1862; Gaines' Farm, Va., 
June 27, 1862; Second Battle of Bull Run, Va., 
August 27, 1862; Chantilly, Va., September r, 
E862; Crampton's Pass, Md., September 14, 1862; 
Antietam, September 17, 1862; Fredericksburg, 
Va., December 13, 1862; Gettysburg, Pa., Jul\' 2 
and 3, 1863; Williamsport, Md., July 6, 1863; 
Rappahannock Station, Va., November 7, 1863; 
Mine Run, Va., November 29 and 30, 1863: 
Wilderness, Va., May 5 to 7, 1864; Spottsyl- 
vania, Va,, May 8 to 11, 1864; Spottsylvania 



IN LATER WAR TIMES. ■ 255 

Court IIousc, Va., May 12 to 16, 1S64; North and 
South Anna River, Va., May 24, 1S64; Hanover 
Court House, Va., May 29, 1864; Cold Harbor, 
Va., June i to 11, 1864; Weldon Raih-oad, Va., 
June 30, 1864; Snicker's Gap, Va., July 18, 1864; 
Strasburg, Va., August 15, 1864; Winchester, ''a., 
August 17, 1864; Charlestowr, Va., August 21, 
1864; Opequan, Va., September 19, 1864; Fisher's 
Hill, Va., September 21 and 22, 1864; New Market, 
Va., September 24, 1864; Mt. Jackson, Va., Sep- 
tember 25, 1864; Cedar Creek, Va., October 19, 
I064; Hatcher's Run, Va., February 5, 1865 ; Fort 
Steadman, Va., March 25, 1865 ; Capture of Peters- 
burg, Va., April 2, 1865 ; Sailor's Creek, Va., April 
6, 1865 ; Farmville, Vs., April 7, 1865 ; Lee's Sur- 
render, Appomattox, Va., April 9, 1865. 

At the battle of Gaines' Farm on the 27th of 
June,- 1862, the entire regiment, together with the 
Eleventh Pennsylvania Reserves, were captured 
and taken to Richmond. There they were kept as 
prisoners of war till about the middle of August, 
when they were exchanged and returned to their 
brigade, which was at this time lying at Harrison's 
Landing on the James River. The regiment re- 
joined the brigade on August 15, 1862, just one 
year from the day the boys were mustered in at 
Trenton; and also just in time to participate in the 
second battle of Bull Run, on the 27th of August. 

Who has forcrotten — who can ever forcfet — that 



256 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

'.vondciTul month of April, 1865 ? The capture of 
Petersburg, the fall of Richmond, the surrender of 
1.2c, set the nation wild with the gladness of victory 
and the assurance of peace. Then all the gladness 
was suddenly quenched in the horror of Lincoln's 
assassination. The lamentations over this tragedy 
v/cre still sounding when they were drowned in a 
i)cal of laughter that rang from ocean to ocean at 
che absurd capture of Jefferson IDavis. Moores- 
:o\vn, like all the rest of the country, has never 
been so shaken to and fro as she was that 
month ; and like the rest of the country she had 
added to the other excitements of the time the 
anticipation of welcoming home the soldiers who 
had helped to achieve the grand consummation. 
They came at last. Did they ? Alas ! So few of 
them. It was but a remnant that received the wel- 
come of those who had given the parting God- 
speed to all. Thirty- two battles, with the sore ex- 
periences of camp and hospital had thinned the 
ranks to a pitiful extent. Some had come home in 
advance and been laid to rest in quiet church-yard 
nooks ; more had been left behind, resting as quietly 
in less quiet places. Others had brought life home 
with them, but life so bruised and shaken that 
suffering must be one of its conditions through all 
the years to come. But the war was over, and the 
ending was such as all those living and all those 
dead had striven for. 




Chapter XVIIL 

Old Houses and Laiidi)iarks^ 

F course anything in the way of antiquities 
that Moorestown has to show — or any 
part of America, for that matter — must 
necessarily be new and raw compared 
with the hoary landmarks of the Old 
World. To be sure some of our newer possessions 
are ancient indeed beside some of the old relics 
sold to tourists in Egypt and India; for oftentimes 
these are sticky with the recent varnish of the 
English workshop ; but in the way of genuine old 
age, almost any little place in England or Germany 
or Italy, to say nothing of Egypt and China and 
Japan, can boast structures that were historic long 
before our oldest landmarks were thought of; un- 
less, indeed, we choose to fall back upon the works 
of the Mound Builders or the Aztecs, and they can 
hardly be said to be ours. But after all, old age is 
only a relative result, and must be estimated by 
different standards in different places and circum- 
(257) 



258 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

Stances. If a house or a tree is as old as its oppor- 
tunities permit it to be, that is all that can be 
asked or expected of it. Judged by that standard 
Ave have some very creditable antiquities in Moores- 
town.. 

The oldest relics hereabouts take us back to the 
Indians, as might be supposed; but how far back 
into Indian history and experience is not known. 
The Indian Spring, on the ridge at the South- 
eastern border of the town, in the neighborhood of 
Mrs. Lippincott's scliool, has ah-eady been men- 
tioned. It is not now so strongly suggestive of its 
Indian importance as it was a few years ago, but is 
still interesting. For very many years it was care- 
fully kept as nearly as possible in the same condi- 
tion as its aboriginal proprietors had maintained for 
it when they used to assemble about it from far and 
near and build their council fires beside it. They 
had evidently esteemed it very highly, and had 
given it a degree of care and attention worthy of 
its importance. Its basin was kept carefully cleaned 
out and walled up with rude stone work, and its 
outlet had a well-kept channel prepared for it. Its 
abundant chalybeate waters evidently stood high 
in the estimation of our predecessors ; and probably 
for many generations of red men the spring was 
the object of solemn pilgrimage and popular resort. 

Scattered freely about the spring were relics of a 
a more portable sort. These the school-girls took 



\ 



OLD IIOUSK> AND LANDMARKS. 



259 



^delight in searching for and bearing away; and 
many widely scattered liomes have among their 
bric-a-brac to-day stone arrow-heads and spear- 
'heads that must be classed among the antiquities 
•of Moorestown. An uninformed white man is very 
naturally led to inquire why the Indians were so 
•careless as to leave these manufactured flints so 
profusely scattered over the surface of the ground. 
One would suppose that articles which evidently 
required so much time and labor to make, and 
Avhich were so useful to their owners, would be 
•kept carefully in possession instead of being reck- 
lessly strewn about for white men to plough up 
and white girls to gather into their treasuries of 
curiosities. 

It lis not only in the neighborhood of Indian 
Spring that the flinty traces of the original dwellers 
here have been found. At various places in and 
about the town they have been turned up more or 
less abundantly. Mr. Edward Harris has collected 
quite a little museum of such articles that have 
'been from time to time discovered on his farm, 
llis collection includes not only such specimens as 
•arrow-heads and spear-heads, but more important 
and curious articles. One of these is the stone 
head of a war club. It is of murderous weight and 
proportions, and has encircling it a carefully made 
groove by which it was to be bound, with tough 
.fibred withes to its wooden handle. Another soeci- 



CGO I.I'JJi<l<..-5i'0»VW, OLD ANU i>lb:\V. 

men is in two pieces and of formidable wciglif 
The two parts are a large, hollowed stone — a kind 
of petrified chopping bowl in appearance — and a- 
long, heavy piece of stone, larger at one end than> 
the other, with the large end carefully rounded and 
the small end shaped into a handle. These together 
formed the mill for grinding the family supply oi 
Indian meal. The bowl was to hold the corn which 
the rudely formed pestle pounded and ground into- 
meal. The mill would hardly be equal to turning 
out patent process fiour, but is a very curious and 
interesting affair, notwithstanding. 

But all these are relics of a time that passed,, 
probably, long before Moorcstown was thought of,, 
and can hardly be said to belong to it at all. That 
is not the case with the old sycamore tree which 
stands on the north side of Main street a short dis- 
tance East of the William Penn Hotel. This old 
survivor of the past is one of the best known 
and one of the most conspicuous landmarks of 
the place. It will be remembered that the origi- 
nal Meeting House of the Friends stood in the 
enclosure that now constitutes the Friends' Green- 
lawn Cemeter}^, with horse and wagon sheds ex- 
tending towards where the hotel now is. Thomas 
Warrington, son of Henry Warrington — who was 
the first of the family to settle in West Jersey — felt 
the need of a hitching-post in front of the sheds for 
his own conveiiience and that of his ncicrhbors 



OLD HOUSES AND LAXDMARKG. 261 

'So in the year 1740 he suppHed this want by setting 
•out a strong young sycamore tree there, which 
might serve the present purpose of a hitching-post, 
and also, in time, afford shade to the horses tied to 
its trunk. The hitching post so thoughtfully pro- 
vided in 1740 is the noble old sycamore which 
Moorestown takes pride in to-day. It must have 
been some years old when it was placed in its 
present position; otherwise it would uot hav^e 
served the purpose for which it was selected. So it 
is to-day at least a hundred and fifty years old. 

Some years ago a large hole appeared on the 
South side of the tree near its foot, and the old 
landmark was threatened with a fatal decay which 
would speedily bring about its overthrow. Mr. C. 
C. Coles, the proprietor of the hotel, happily re- 
membered that the decay of an old tree in the 
Friends' burying ground at Mullica Hill had been 
successfully checked by closing the opening with 
masonry; so he resolved to try the same treatment 
with the sycamore. A quantity of bricks and fresh 
•cement were left from some recent work about the 
hotel premises. Mr. Coles had the bricks placed 
in the hollow of the tree, causing them to be packed 
and driven in as firmly and closely as possible. 
The entire opening was filled in this manner, and 
then the surface of the brickwork was thickly coated 
with cement so as to entirely exclude the air from 
^he inside of the tree. The remarkable surgical 



262 ' MOORESTOWN, OLD A^ND NEW. 

operation was eminently successful. The decaj^ 
was checked, on the same principle, probably, that 
the filling of a decayed tooth preserves it. The old 
tree regained its health ; the opening was gradually 
hidden by new growth of wood and bark, and now 
only a scar remains to remind people of the heroic 
treatment that was resorted to. 

An interesting fact connected with the affair is that 
the tree at Mullica Hill, whose rescue suggested 
that of the sycamore, was operated on by Lindzey 
Nicholson, one of whose daughters is the wife of 
Dr. Joseph Warrington, one of Moorestown's old 
citizens, and a descendent of the Warrington who 
planted the "hitching-post" in 1740. Mr. Nichol- 
son experimented successfully on a tree near his 
residence on Wahiut street, Philadelphia, and then 
extended his treatment to the Mullica Hill tree, in 
which he took great interest from old association. 

Another of the old landmarks of the place is alsO' 
a tree. This one is a grand white oak, which is. 
now growing where it originally took root in the 
woods. The woods have disappeared and left the 
old tree standing out in the sidewalk on the South, 
side of Main street at the end of the line that sepa- 
rates the property of Dr. S. C. Thornton from that 
of William Matlack's daughters. It is supposed to- 
be about a hundred years old, and is a magnificient 
specimen of tree-growth. It was utilized by some: 
of the old-time surveyors in their work, being. 



OLD liuU.SliS AND LANL'.MAKkS. 26J 

referred to in one of the old conveyances as " a 
small white oak tree," which marked a corner of 
the land conveyed. Under the shadow of this old 
tree the original Methodist church stood— the first 
house of public worship erected in Moorestown. 
after the Friends' meeting house. To all appear- 
ance the tree is now in the prime of life, and it is 
pleasant to think that it is likely to be spared many- 
years yet as a landmark for Moorestown to be 

proud of 

One of the old buildings identified with the early 
times of Moorestown has been removed this spring 
(iS86'. This was the old blacksmith shop that 
stood on Main street a short distance East of Mr. 
Geo. F. Uoughten's store. It old age can make 
anythhig venerable, it was evident to all beholders 
that this old structure was venerable. It was of 
composite architecture, being partly of frame and 
partly of stone, and a part of the frame portion 
standing at an obtuse angle from the rest of it. A 
queer little after-thought addition, in the shape of a 
low, SGuare box: with a window in it, stood out 
from the Southeastern corner and formed the East- 
ern end of the shed that fronted the smithy. To 
all appearance this was the oldest portion of the 
building, but it probably was not. The blacksmith 
shop was sold in 1780 by John Cox to his son, 
William Cox. It is supposed that either John or 
William built the stone portion of the structure, and 



264 MOORESTOWN. OLD AND NEW. 

that the business had been carried on in a still 
older portion of the building for an indefinite time 
prior to the transfer of 1780. But when that older 
portion was erected is not known. The old shop 
and the ground on Avhich it stood were purchased 
by the Moorestown Grange in the early part of 
1886, and the building torn down. A new building 
is being erected on the site of the old landmark, to 
be used by the Grange as a general store, with a 
Granger's Hall in the upper story. The substitu- 
tion will undoubtedly be a great improvement to 
that part of Moorestown, even though it does oblit- 
erate one of the relics of old times. 

Another old building which is associated in his- 
tory to some extent with the blacksmith shop, is 
the frame dwelling house on Main street, just East 
of G. F. Doughten's residence. In 1745 John Cox^ 
who sold the blacksmith shop to his son in 1780, 
bought the land lying between Levi Lippincott's 
property and Chester avenue. It would appear 
that the frame building in question was standing on 
the ground at the time ; for Mr. Cox became tav- 
ern-keeper there soon after his purchase. "Cox's 
Tavern" became one of the notable places of 
Moorestown and so continued for many years. 
Mr. Cox died about 1800, and after his death the 
property passed through a number of ownership's 
until about the year 1842, when David McCoy, who 
had purchased the consolidated stage lines from 



OLD HOUSES AND LANDMARKS. 26s 

George F. Doughteii and John Courtland Haines, 
bought the old tavern. He had leased the property 
some time previous to this, and established stage 
headquarters there ; but after purchasing he put on 
improvements which bore testimony to a good deal 
of enterprise on his part. He erected a large barn 
at the rear of the premises, which still remains there, 
and constructed a very ample wagon shed which 
occupied the ground where Mr. Doughten's resi- 
dence nov/ stands. For a time the business of the 
tavern flourished ; but when the stage line passed 
out of McCoy's possession and was established else- 
where, the hotel business ebbed away from the old 
place; then it ceased to be a tavern at all, and for 
many years now the old building has been rented 
as a dwelling. 

On this same property, purchased by John Cox 
in 1745, stood one of the very early stores of the 
town. It was a frame building which occupied the 
ground where now stands the Store of G. F. Dough- 
ten, at the corner of Main street and Chester 
avenue. Who built it, or when it was built are 
things unknown ; but it was an ancient structure^ 
John Cox sold the portion of the property on which 
the store was standing, to John Wilkinson Fenni- 
more in 1801. Fennimore sold it to William 
Uoughten, father of the present owner. George F. 
Doughten returned here, a young man, in 1832, 
and entered into a business partnership with John 



265 MOO R ES rO^VN^ OLD' A'NSD ■ N K \V . 

CourLlancl Haines. They bought the old store and 
began business theire. In 1838 Mr. Doughten. 
bought out his partner's interest in the business,, 
and continued the enterprise independently. In 
1849 ^^^ removed the old frame building and replaced 
it with the building he now occupies. The lot ad- 
joining was also a part of the old Cox property.. 
This lot David McCoy tried to purchase before he 
bought the Cox Tavern ; but Mr. Doughten had' 
forestalled him, purchasing the lot himself in 1839- 
On this he erected his present residence, and while 
he was rebuilding his store he kept his goods in 
his dwelling. 

The William Penn, Hotel, on the North side of" 
Main street, just West of the Friend's' grave-yard^ 
is another of the old buildings of the place. Its- 
appearance at this time does not denote its antiquity,, 
for it has seen changes as time went on, notably 
under the administratton of its present proprietors, 
Messrs. C. C. Coles & Brother. Fresh paint and 
other added improvements have made it, to all 
appearance, an essentially modern building. It is 
not that, however ; and it has a history full of inter- 
esting points, if there were only somebody who 
could remember them. Pretty much the only out- 
v/ard indication of old times now visible about the 
building is a couple of small holes in the Western 
end. Into these holes were inserted the ends of the 
iron rods which formed the support of the old. 



OLD HOUSES AND LANDMARKS. 26/ 



swmgi 



_ng sign, on which was displayed a portrait of 
William Penn. Under the proprietorship of John 
West the old house was headquarters for one of the 
rival stage-coach lines and had its full share of the 
liveliness that belonged to those lively times. 

About 1820 Thomas Porter was the proprietor: 
He was a well known character hereabouts, and 
combined the vocations of hotel-keeper, tailor and 
auctioneer. He is said to have been equally effici- 
ent in all, and to have been a jolly soul withal, as 
a man so prosperous and full of resources may well 
have been. His wife, Polly, was as important a 
personage as himself, and her skill as a cook and 
caterer gave her a wide reputation. It is stated 
that no wedding or important festival of any kind 
was deemed a success unless Polly Porter had the 
management of it and provided the good things. 

Thomas Porter was succeeded by John West as 
proprietor. Then came Daniel Bennett, Benjamin- 
Martin, Nathan Stokes and John West— another 
John West— in succession. In the winter of 1859 
C. C. Coles & Brother, the present proprietors, pur- 
chased the place. About forty years ago impor- 
tant alterations and improvements were made in the 
building, which changed it from an old-time tavern, 
and gave it a more modern appearance. Other, but 
less radical changes have been made more recently; 
The Washington Hotel, on the North side of 
Main street, West of Mill street, is said to be a still 



263 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW, 

older house than the WilHam Penn, and it certainly 
has retained more of its ancient appearance. It was 
also headquarters for one of the opposition stage 
lines in the exciting days of stage-coaching; and 
has always been a prominent feature of Moores- 
town. William Doughten, father of George F. 
Doughten, was proprietor for a long time. He was 
succeeded b}^ Henry Louden, and after him came 
Abel Small, Jr., Michael O'Neil, Nathan H. Stokes, 
George Dull, Lewis Wood, Frank Lightcap, and 
the present proprietor, Lee Stroud. During Dull's 
proprietorship the hotel barn was destroyed by 
fire. Alterations have been made from time to 
time, but they have not changed the appearance of 
the old place to such an extent as in the case of 
William Penn. 

There is not much in the appearance of the store 
block West of the William Penn Hotel, on the same 
side of the street, to indicate antiquity. But Burr's 
store and Brown's store both occupy sites that were 
held — and not so many years ago — by very old 
structures. When A. L. Burr kept his store in the 
house now occupied by Ebenezer Roberts, a small 
frame building stood on the ground where his brick 
store now is. It was a very old structure, but how 
old is not knov/n. In it Elwood Stratton, who be- 
came postmaster under President Lincoln's admin- 
istration, kept a drug store. He was the last to 
occupy the old building. Th': little frame struc- 



uLD HOUSES ANU LANDMARKS. 269* 

ture was r.ot destro)'ed when the new building was 
to be erected, but was purchased and moved off. 
It is now ocvuipied as a dwelling on French's alley, 
below Second street. 

Where the brick store of E. B. Brown & Brother 
now stands a blacksmith shop formerly stood. Na 
man knows when or by whom it was erected. 
Very many years ago it was diverted from its 
original purpose and became a store. It was occu- 
pied successively by a number of proprietors, and 
for a good many years prior to i860 John Court- 
Haines and John Buzby carried en' business there 
under the style of Haines & Buzby. In i860 Mr. 
Haines retired in favor B. L. Davis, who had been 
a clerk in the store, and E. B. Brown bought Mr- 
Buzby's interest. In 1864 Mr. Brown bought out 
Davis and took his brother Charles into partner- 
ship. In the summer of 1876 the old building was 
torn down and the present brick store erected in 
its place. The new building was occupied Sep- 
tember 9, 1876. 

A very old frame dwelling house was removed 
to make room for present residence of Mr. A. L. Burr 
on the North side of Main street. How long it 
had stood there cannot be told, but It was very 
venerable. It had belonged to Joseph Matlack, 
and was said to be considerably over a century old. 
One of the last to occupy the old house in its old 
position was Charles Burden, still a resident here, 



2^0 MOORESTUWN, OLD AND NEv». 

AVlien the time came to remove the venerable 
building it was purchased by John Manion, and 
removed to his lot on Second street in West 
Moorestown, where he still occupies it as a dwelling. 
There is a well in the southwest corner of Mr. 
Burr's grounds, which was probably dug when the 
old house was built. There is a pump in it now, 
and the supply of water has never been known to 
fail in the severest drought. The well is lined with 
great blocks of iron-stone, and formerly a part of 
the grounds about the old house was paved with 
similar blocks. A number of years ago it was 
decided to clear out the old well, which is used by 
by the present owner only to supply water for the 
lawn and shrubbery. In the cleaning operations a 
jar of butter was brought up from the depths. It 
had been hung down there unknown years before 
to keep it hard and sweet, and in some unaccount- 
able manner had been forgotten, with the result of 
being pretty well fossillized. 

Where the Bank Building now stands there was 
formerly an old building which had occupied the 
ground from a time when the memory of the oldest 
inhabitant runneth not to the contrary. It was 
torn down to make room for the Bank, and its de- 
struction removed one of the most universally 
accommodating old buildings, perhaps, that Moores- 
town ever possessed. It had been a cabinet maker's 
shop on different occasions ; a school house from 



OLD HOUSES AND LANDMARKS. 27 I 



t3 

fi^iveii 



'fimc lo t-ime ; a store when it came handy ; a dru 
•store when the emergency demanded ; had 
quarters to a newspaper, and had encouraged other 
industries in the most versatile and impartial man- 
ner possible. 

When or by whom it was built are points on 
which there seems to be no exact information. It 
was an old building a great many years ago. The 
investigator who tries to get back of that goes into 
a fog and is lost. Very early in the present century 
Richard Haines occupied the old shop and followed 
liis trade of cabinet-making there. After his time 
William Jones, also a cabinet-maker, worked there. 
lie was the father of the late Samuel Jones, the well 
1.-nown citizen who was for so long a term of years 
Moorestown's only undertaker. Samuel worked 
-with his father in the old shop, and the family lived 
in a little frame house that stood on the lot adjoin- 
ing, where the residence of the Misses Slim now is. 
This little dwelling house is reputed to have been 
•still older than the shop. It could hardly have 
been called spacious, for it is said to have consisted 
of only two rooms — one down stairs and another 
above, which was reached by means of a trap-door 
and open stairway. A little store was kept in the 
lower room, and was a favorite shopping place for 
the, lovers of taffy and cream cheese. Samuel Jones 
succeeded his father as cabinet maker in the old 
shop, and carried on business there for several 



2-J2 



MOJRi-:STO\VN, OLD AND NEW. 



years. In those times cabinet makers mad 2 coffins 
when the occasion demanded, and undertaking^ vw s 
not a distinct business, as now. Gradually Mr. 
Jones was compelled to give more and more of his 
time and attention to making coffins and attending 
funerals, and eventually dropped the other branches 
of his old trade and became a regular undertaker. 
After a time Joshua Borton built the house now 
occupied by Ebenezer Roberts, and also the one 
standing West of it. This one Samuel Jones bought 
and occupied. He built a shop back of it, and then 
the old building in which he had so long carried on 
his business was vacated by him. 

It would seem that the old shop was not occu- 
pied continuously by the cabinet makers through 
all these years ; for thei e are recollections of schools 
that must have been sandwiched in between the 
wood-working periods. Rev. Daniel Higbee kept 
a school here sometime about 1820, and had among 
his pupils some boys and girls who are now living 
among us as grandfathers and grandmothers. Dur- 
ing his experience as teacher Mr. Higbee lived in 
l,he little house next door. At a later period Isaac 
'Bunting had a school in the old shop. He had 
previously taught in an old school house some dis- 
tance west of Moorestown. This school house had 
been destroyed by fire, and the old shop was the 
pedagogue's place of refuge. There Is one old lady 
still living here v/ho has a distinct recollection of 



OLD HOUSES AND LANDMARKS. 



275 



school-days passed in the old school house that. 
was burned, while Isaac Bunting taught there ; and 
there are others, many years younger, who were his. 
pupils in the cabinet maker's shop. 

In later years Mr. James Sankey purchased the 
old building and used it for a cabinet shop many 
years. It was fulfilling that part of its vocation 
when the ground on which it stood was purchased 
for a bank site and the old landmark was demol- 
ished. In the meantime, however, it did not forfeit 
its reputation of being the most accommodating- 
building in the place. When Mr. A. L. Burr was 
about to erect his present store and it was necessary 
to remove the old frame building that stood on the 
ground, Mr. Elwood Stratton, who had his drug 
store in the doomed building, removed his stock to 
Mr. Sankey's shop and carried on business there 
until his quarters in Burr's new building were ready 
for him. So too, when the Brown Brothers put up 
their present building they removed their goods to 
Mr. Sankey's shop and kept store there until they 
could occupy their own building. When the 
Clironicle was started here it had its first quarters in 
Mr. Sankey's shop, and staid there until a nre whicli 
threatened the entire destruction of the building, 
drove it out. Indeed there seems to have been very 
few spheres of usefulness which the old structure 
could not fill. 

Another very old building is that m which Mrs. 



274 r.IOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEV/. 

Esther Stiles has her dwelling and her trimming' 
store, on the South side of Main street, some little 
distance below the Bank. Its appearance does not 
indicate old age, for it has been kept in good repair, 
and has been somewhat modernized by slight alter- 
ations ; but it dates back to Revolutionary times, 
and was a spacious and commodious dwelling for 
the time of its construction. 

Tiie Town Hall is not a very antique structure, 
but it bears a tolerable weight of years, neverthe- 
less. It was built by the township authorities in 
1812, and at the time of its construction was held 
to be an architectural credit to the place. It was 
then just hall the size it is now. When the Moores- 
town Literary Association was in its heyday of 
prosperity it became joint proprietor of the little 
brick building with the township, and built an addi- 
tion which just doubled the size of the hall. It 
added other improvements which made the struc- 
ture notable for its completeness at the time. Since 
that time the township has been only part owner 
of the hail. It has always retained the full right 
to use the building for all township business, so 
that the hall still serves the purpose for which it 
was originally intended. Previous to its erection 
the town meetings were held in the hotels ; and as 
John Cox was the Town Clerk for many years it is 
supposed that his hotel was used for town meeting 
purposes during thoseyears until the hall was built. 



1 



^- ilUUSES AND LANDMARKS. 



27! 



A notable f^pecimen of the old time mansions 1*3 
that now owned and occupied by Dr. S. C. Thorn- 
iton, on the South side of iMain street a short dis- 
tance East of Mill street. Standing far back from 
the street, fronted by a large lawn, and its white 
waHs gleaming through the abundant green of 
trees and ornamental shrubbery, it answers fully the 
idea of a stately country residence of olden times. 

The house was built nearly a hundred years ago, 
'by Thomas Ewing, of Philadelphia, for the summer 
^residence of his family. Its beginning is associated 
with the youth of the grand old white oak which 
'Stands in the sidewalk in front of the premises ; for 
the deed conveying the property referred to this 
tree as a " white oak sapling" marking one of the 
^corners. As originally constructed the building 
liad a decidedly different appearance to what it has 
now. A broad veranda ran Across both ends and 
the back of it. The front door was sheltered by a 
-narrow little porch or " stoop." The roof of the 
house was flat, and for many years it was known 
;far and wide as the " Old Flat-Roofed House." 

The original veranda is still retained at the West- 
•ern end of the house, and very quaint and pleasant 
it is, with its .wooden "settle" fastened to the wall 
the entire length of it. The remainder of the 
veranda was removed years ago to make room for 
additions and improvements ; and the httle front 
.^toop has been replaced by a roomy piazza, so 



2^6 MOORESTUWN, OLD AND NEW. 

designed as to harmonize with the rest of the build- 
ing. The front of the house gives the impressioiii 
of spacious roominess inside, but originally the 
building had but two rooms on each floor — one- 
room on each side of a broad hall running from 
front to rear. A large back building has been^ 
added, so that the promise of the imposing front is 
more fully kept now. A feature which is singular 
among old houses is the staircase, which instead of 
running up from the hall, is enclosed, and ascends 
from the back at one side of the hall. The clap- 
boards are of cedar, tongucd and grooved, and all 
the timbers are of solid oak, strong enough to with- 
stand a cyclone. 

For many years the title to the property was in 
dispute; and during that time the old house stood 
empty, and the grounds were the resort of all the 
idle youth in the neighborhood. Many of them cut 
their names in the house-walls, and there they 
remain in spite of much paint. In 1838 l^r. Sam- 
uel Thornton, father of the present owner, saw an 
opening through the legal entanglemicnt, and 
bought the property. He added to and improved 
the house and brought it up to the condition in 
which his son has since maintained it. A noble 
orchard formerly stood back of the house set with 
apple trees that came from England. All but one 
of the old original trees have died out. So also 
have all the clicrrv trees v/hicli came froiii Ivir:'-1an(L 



A 



OLD HOUSES AND LANDMARKS. 



277 



and the rows of Lombardy poplars which once 
■stood sentry all about. 

Dr. Thornton erected the present back building, 
^remodelled the roof,' replaced the little front stoop 
with the present piazza and expended a vast amount 
of paint upon the battered ontside of the house he 
had purchased. But the changes he made were 
such as harmonized with the original character of 
the house, and its individuality as a type of the 
fine old mansion house has never been impaired. 

A short distance West of the head of Mill street 
stands one of the most interesting of all the houses 
that remain as mementos of the remote past. It is 
the old Smith or Harris mansion, of which mention 
has been repeatedly made. It stands some little 
distance south of Main street and looks off toward 
the northeast, with one shoulder partly turned 
toward the street. When it was built it fronted 
squarely on the King's Highway; but years ago 
that thoroughfare was straightened, and although 
the general course of IMain street is the same as 
that of the old road, still there are places where the 
little change that was made produced a very notice- 
able effect, as when this old mansion v/as put back 
'in comparative seclusion. Until a few years since 
it stood alone, with quite a grove between it and 
the street; but now most of the great taees have 
■been cut down, and the handsome residence of Mr. 
J. C. Hopkins occupies the foreground of the imme- 



2^8 MOORESTO A^^^ OLD AND N'BW. : 

diate neighborhood of the old farm house, as it has^ 
been known of late years. 

The ground on which the house stands formed 
part of one of the extensive purchases made here 
at the beginning of Moorestown's existence. On 
the 13th of May, 1682, Robert Clinton sold the 
property to Thomas Martin; on the 25th of Sep- 
tember, 1686, James Martin, brother of Thomas,, 
under a letter of attorney given by the latter, sold 
it to Thomas Rodman ; Thomas Rodman died at 
his home in Rhode Island, and in his will left the 
New Jersey property to his son Clark Rodman;: 
on the 13th of October, 1730, Clark Rodman sold 
the property to Francis liogsett; he, on the ist of 
April 1734 sold a part of his possessions here to 
Nehemiah Haines; in March, 1738, Nehemiah 
Haines sold to Joshua Humphries, and on August 
2, 1766, Joshua Humphries and Increase, his wife, 
sold the land and whatever buildings were on it to. 
Samuel Smith, 

Samuel Smith kept the place until his death;- 
and by his will, which bore date December 23, 
1775, left it to his son Richard Smith. Richard 
Smith, by his will, dated April 30th, 1796, directed 
that the property, with such other lands as he pos- 
sessed, should be sold after his death, and appointed' 
Hannah and Joseph Smith to execute the pro- 
visions of the will. Accordingly on the i8th o- 
May, 1798, Hannah and Joseph Smith sold th<^ 



OLD HOUSES AND LANDMA-RKS. 2/0* 

Moorestovvn property to Edward Harris, of Phila- 
delphia. 

The property remained in the Harris family for 
many years. On the death of Edward Harris, the 
purchaser, in 1822, his son Edward inherited the 
estate, and lived upon it until his marriage, when 
he made a protracted visit to Europe. On his 
return he purchased the homestead now occupied 
by his widow and his son Edward, on Main street 
some distance above the old mansion. He still 
retained possession of the original estate, but after 
some years sold it to Dr. Haines. The old property 
was subsequently in the possession of Samuel Far- 
vour, and after his death came into the possession 
of Deacon William Mead. He retained it until a 
(c\v years since when it passed into the hands of 
its present proprietor, Bartholomew Sutton. 

The historic old house is said to have been built 
by Joshua Humphries shortly after his purchase of 
173S. If so the building was altered and added to 
by Samuel S mith and his son Richard. In their time 
the mansion was one of the most considerable in 
this region. Richard Smith was the owner and 
occupant during the Revolution; and it Vv^as here 
that his niece, Elizabeth Murrel, had her memorable 
experience when his house was the headquarters 
of the retreating British commander. 

The liberal hospitality of Edward Harris rendered 
the house still more notable after it came into his 



2gO MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

hands. Here ministers of every evangelical denomi- 
nation were made welcome, and here in the absence 
of regular church buildings, they were invited to 
hold services. In the parlor and on the veranda of 
this mansion preachers of various creeds have from 
time to time delivered sermons in the hearing 
of interested congregations. When the original 
Methodist church was built the dwelling house was 
no longer needed as a place of public worsl^ip, but 
the memory of its old time usefulness in that direc- 
tion still clings to it. 

Old age does not seem to have told upon the 
venerable structure with any damaging effect ; and 
it is still a comfortable and commodious dwelling, 
as pleasant to ^ live in as it is picturesque to look 
upon and interesting to think about. 

A short distance below Union street, on the South 
side of Main street, stands a house with a history 
extending pretty far back into the past. It is the 
house now occupied by Ebenezer Roberts' daugh- 
ters. It was built before the King's Highway had 
become Main street, and before the old road was 
straightened. When the straightening process had 
been completed the old house found itself standing 
on the opposite side of the road form that on which 
it had originally stood. It was built on the North 
side, and fronted South. It was left standing on the 
South side, and had to make an exchange of front 
and back doors to accommodate its new situation. 



OLD Houses and landmarks. 281 

A still older building formerly stood in the same 
yard with this house. It was in this building that 
one of the first stores in Moorestown was kept. 
Numerous store-keepers served customers here 
through a long term of years, the last proprietor 
being Joseph Wood. He left the old place to set 
up business in the ancient building which formerly 
i3tood on the site now occupied by E. B. Brown & 
Brother's brick store. After his removal the orig- 
inal store was occupied as a school house ; for some 
years a boarding and day school was kept there by 
Darling Lippincott and Ezra Roberts. 

Until a few years ago an exceedingly interesting 
group of old houses stood nearly opposite the Rob- 
erts house just alluded to. It was here that one of 
the first tan-yards of Moorestown was located. It 
extended some distance West from Union street, 
and from the King's Highway North, to where 
Second street now is. It was within these bound- 
aries that Thomas Moore, the man who gave his 
name to Moorestown, had his abiding place and 
kept his hotel. 

The entire premises may originally have been 
devoted to the tannery, but in the later years of the 
business the tan yard proper, with its vats and 
bark mill occupied the Northern part of the ground, 
and dwelling houses stood fronting the highway. 
Just West of Union street and facing Main street, 
.stood one oi' these old houses. It was last occupied 



38^ MOGRESIVWN, OLD AND NET/. 

by William Gottbier. West of this stood what had" 
formerly been the curry shop of the tan-yard. It 
had been changed into a dwelling many, many 
years ago, and during the last seven years of its 
existence on the old ground, was occupied by Wil- 
liam Rexon and his family. It was a story and a 
half high, and stood with its side to the street. It 
had two rooms below and two above. ^ There was 
a window in each end of the house for the up-stairs 
rooms, and there were two v/indows on each side 
down-stairs. The windows had only a single sash 
which disappeared from view in the walls when the- 
windows were raised. The fastenings of the doors 
were the old-time wooden latches, and the "latch- 
string hung out" through a gimlet hole In the door.. 
The Gottbier house was somewhat larger than 
this one, and had a good sized barn back of it,. 
apparently as old as the house. Notwithstanding 
their great age and the primitive manner in which 
they were fitted up, these old houses were comfort- 
able and convenient homes, and their former tenants 
have pleasant recollections concerning them. The 
solid manner in which they were built was shown 
at the time of the terrible hail and wind storm 
about the year 1874. The hurricane had such force 
that Main street was fairly blockaded with great 
branches of trees that had been twisted off; and the 
rin-roofers were kept busy repairing the damage 
done to modern roofs by the wind and the hail.. 



I 



OLD HOUSES AND LANDMARKS. 



285 



But beyond the breaking of windows by the hail- 
stones, these venerable houses suffered no damage 
whatever. 

No wells could be dug on the premises because 
of the old tan vats ; and water had to be brought 
from a distance, which is the one inconvenience 
remembered against the old homes. But there was 
full compensation for this in the exceeding richness 
of the garden soil. The fertilizing effects of the 
leather scrapings were still felt by the ground, and 
everything that was planted grew with wonderful 
vigor. 

The property belonged to the widow of Joseph 
Stokes, and that portion of it on which these two 
old houses stood was sold to Mr. Albert C. Heul- 
ings. In 1880 the old buildings were removed to 
make room for modern residences. The Gottbier 
house was torn down ; but the old curry shop was 
bought by Samuel Cranmer, the pump manufac- 
turer, and removed to his premises on the corner 
of Third street and Church Road, where it now 
serves him for a shop. The residence of Mr. Am- 
brose Risdon now occupies the lot where stood the 
curry shop; and on the corner lot adjoining stands 
the residence of Mr. Cameron. 

Just West of the curry shop stood a building 
Avhich, at the time of its destruction, was said to be 
the oldest house in Moorestown. It was this old 
house which the best authority that can be obtained 



J284 ■' ■ 1'<->^VN, OLD AND NEW. 

declares Thomas Moore built and occupied as a 
hotel. If this be so the travelling public must have 
spent most of its time at home in Mr. Moore's days ; 
for his "hotel" consisted of just four rooms, all told. 
Two v/ere on the ground floor, and two were up- 
stairs under the roof These huter were so unam- 
bitious that a man could stand in the middle of 
either of them and touch the peak of the roof with 
his finger tips ; from which it may be inferred that 
no very massive furniture was at the disposal o^ 
Mr. Moore's guests. The manner of getting up 
stairs, too, was somewhat different from going up 
in a modern elevator. The stairway was open at 
the back, like ordinary cellar stairs, and led up tea 
trap door in the floor of one of the upper rooms. 
At the foot the stairway was unattached, but at the 
top it was fastened to the beam by a pair of hinges. 
In the day-time, when people were not supposed to 
have any use for their bedrooms, the stairs were 
swung up against the ceiling and fastened there by 
an iron hook, so that they were quite out of the 
way. As bed-time approached, the hook was dis- 
placed and the stairs made available. 

As in the other old houses, the doors were fur- 
nished with wooden latches and leather latch-strings ; 
but the front door was made secure by an extra and 
unusual attachment. This was a bolt, elaborately 
whittled out of tough hickory wood. It was held 
against the door by two heavy wooden clamps, and 



OLD HOUSES AND LANDMARKS. 285" 

slid into a wooden socket fastened to the door- 
casing. 

The building stood with its side to the street, and 
had but a narrow strip of ground between it and 
the siuowalk. This was very different from its first 
estate however. When it was built the highway- 
ran some distance to the South of its present course^ 
and then there was a broad stretch of ground in 
front of the hotel. When the road was straightened 
the door yard was annihilated. 

How many years the old house offered accommo- 
dations as a hotel is not known ; any more than it is 
known what name was borne upon its sign, or what 
became of Thomas Moore when he retired from the 
hotel business. In the course of events the old 
house and the ground it stood upon came into the 
possession of Mrs. Susan Simpson, v/ho lived there 
until her death. Her daughter, Mrs. Rakestraw, 
lived with her, and after Mrs. Simpson's death con- 
tinued to occupy the old house until death ended 
her occupancy also. Mrs. Rakestraw's daughter,. 
Mrs. Blackwood, succeeded her as the occupant of 
the old homestead ; and Mrs. Blackwood's daughter, 
who is now Mrs. George Bracebridge, and lives in 
the immediate neighborhood, resided with her 
mother in the Moore house until her marriage. 
So the ancient roof sheltered four succeeding gen- 
erations — great-grandmother, grandmother, mother 
and dauirhter. 



2S6 * MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

Mrs. Bracebridge claimed to inherit the property 
under the will of her great-grandmother, Susan 
Simpson, but her claim was disputed and a pro- 
longed litigation resulted. The end was adverse 
to the claim of Mrs. Bracebridge, and the homestead 
passed into other hands. The last owner of the old 
house before its final sale and destruction was the 
widow of Joseph Stokes. Joseph Lippincott, Jus- 
tice of the Peace, purchased the property in 1878, 
and the old house was torn down to make room 
for Mr. Lippincott's present residence. 

After the property passed out of the hands of the 
original owner, an addition was built on the Western 
part of the house. This addition extended back, 
so that the original structure formed a kind of 
front wing to the completed building. The well 
now in the side yard of Mr. Lippincott's premises 
belonged to the oldest portion of the house, and 
was directly back of it, in the angle formed by the 
older and newer parts. 

When the old house was torn down Mrs. Brace- 
bridge collected and preserved a number of relics 
belonging to it, including all the wooden latches of 
the doors. But the keep-sake she treasures with 
special pride is the hickory bolt of the front door. 
There is but one heirloom she prizes more highly 
than this piece of wood, and that .is a silver teaspoon 
which she traces back flirougpli seven generations 



OLD HOUSES AND LANDMARKS. 28/ 

'-of fore-mothers. And these successive owners, as 
she declares " were all Susans but one." 

An old house that saw the Revolutionary War 
begin and end, stands on the South side of Main 
.street some distance below the old tan yard. It is 
at present the residence of Mr. Elisha Barckelow, 
and stands well back from the street, in a lar^e 
yard beautifully shaded by old trees. Years ago 
it was occupied by William Roberts, and he built a 
brick addition at the Eastern end of the building. 
The older portion is a frame structure, and is quite 
an ideal "old house" in the way of quaint nooks, 
unexpected angles, high mantels and odd little 
-cupboards. It is in the immediate neighborhood 
of this old house that the cabins of the first white 
settlers here are supposed to have been built. At 
the bottom of the ridge on the South of Mr. Barcke- 
low's dwelling is the spring which is said to have 
been the inducement for home-seekers to settle 
there. Its abundant and unfailing supply of good 
water had long attracted the Indians to its neigh- 
borhood, and the white men's cabins sprung up 
among their wigwams. Formerly traces of the 
Indian occupation of the ground were found in the 
the shape of arrow-heads and other relics. 

Opposite Mr. Barckelow's house is a little white- 
washed building that looks as if it might have been 
.built by one of the first squatters in the place. It 



2^^ LIOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

probably was not, but it is certainly very old. Its 
small windows are protected by solid wooden 
shutters which are single instead of double, like 
modern shutters; and the clap-boards of the house 
look as if they had been the product of the first 
saw mill. George French, the great-uncle of Mrs. 
Barckelow, formerly owned the building. It is 
now in the possession of non-resident owners. 

Mr. French also owned the double house West 
of this, in one portion of which Rev. Mr. Algor 
now lives. This, too, is a very old building, but it 
has grown old very gracefully. It has been kept 
in excellent repair, and is as cosy and pleasantly 
situated a home as any one need desire. Its an- 
tiquity only gives it the added charm of quaintness. 

To. go back, now, to the extreme Eastern part of 
the town, the old building in which Mrs. Mary 
Lippincott's boarding school was kept claims atten- 
tion. This was originally a stone house — when or 
by whom built is not known. The records show 
that Jacob Hollinshead owned the property some 
time previous to 1817, and by his will, dated in 
that year, left it to his son, Thomas Hollinshead. 
It passed successively into the hands of Thomas 
Stiles and Alfred Small, and finally, in 1842, into 
the possession of Isaac Lippincott, husband of 
Mrs. Mary Lippincott, whose name is so closely 
identified with it. In 1858 Mr. Lippincott died, 
leaving the property, heavily encumbered, to his 



OLD HOUSES AND LANDMARKS. 



:89 



wife. By her energy and enterprise she not only 
cleared off ail' the debts, but added to the original 
property. When Mr. Lippincott bought the place 
he enlarged the house by putting a large frame 
addition to the original stone structure. It is re- 
membered that when this was completed a keg of 
beer w^as tapped upon the roof of the new building,, 
and the contractor christened the place " North 
Bend." The name is still sometimes heard, but 
Mrs. Lippincott repudiated both it and the cere- 
mony by which it wd.s conferred. In the latter 
part of 18S5 the property w^as purchased by the 
Moorestown Land Company, and the frame build- 
ing was remodelled into the present Rosamond Inn. 
The original stone house was torn down, and in 
the process of removal a stone was taken out of the 
foundation, on which was the date 1757, and the 
initials "I. M. H." in letters about three inches long. 
The letters were scattered, and may have belonged 
in a different order. ]\Irs. Lippincott is under the 
impression that a family of Moores lived in the old 
liouse before Jacob Hollinshead owned it, but 
there are no authentic accounts previous to the 
Hollinshead ow^nership. 

Trinity Church is not a building old enough to 
be classed as venerable ; but it has among its be- 
longings two wdiich perhaps antedate any of the 
old landmarks that have been mentioned. They 
are the Communion service, and the bell. The 



290 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

Communion service is that which was given by 
Queen Anne to St. Mary's Church, in Colestown. 
When Trinity Parish, the child of St. Mary's, was 
established here, the consecrated vessels came, by 
right of Inheritance, Into the possession of the new 
church ; and apart from their sacred character they 
are treasured for their association with the remote 
pas'. The serv-Ice consists of two pieces — a paten 
and a chalice. Both are of solid silver, and the 
paten, or plate, in particular is very heavy. The 
chalice is gold-lined, and has engraved on its foot : 
*' St. Mary's, Colestown." The same inscription Is 
on the bottom of the paten ; but instead of having 
been engraved it would appear to have been 
scratched — very carefully — by some pointed instru- 
ment in the hands of a prudent officer of the old 
church. Other pieces have been added to the ser- 
vice, but they are new in comparison with these 
two which Queen Anne sent to her loyal subjects 
in West New Jersey. 

The bell which calls the worshippers to service 
Is old and has a curious history. Unlike most old 
things in Moorestown It has been a wanderer. It 
has crossed the ocean at least three times, and has 
spoken Its summons to worshippers in the Church 
of Rome no less loudly than to those in the Protes- 
tant Church. It is a Spanish bell, and there is a 
tradition that it once did duty in the belfry of a 
Spanish convent. Be that as it may, it eventually 



I 



OLD HOUSES AND LANDMARKS. 



291 



%und its way to Canada and there served for many 
:years to call the inmates of a French convent to 
ttheir various exercises. One statement is that be- 
fore it went to Canada it had hung for a time in the 
belfry of an English church, but that is doubtful. 
.About fifty years ago the bell, through some unex- 
plained circumstances, was taken from Canada to 
England. There it came to tlie notice of ivlr. 
Edward Harris and Dr. Spencer, who were abroad 
'together. Both these gentlemen were greatly in- 
terested in the new church in Moorestown. They 
knew it was in want of a bell, and there was some- 
thing pleasant in the thought of its having a bell 
"with so interesting a history. Therefore the old 
'Spanish bell was purchased and sent from England 
-.as a gift to the Moorestown church and in its bdiiy 
".it still remains. 



CiArriv.: XIX. 
A Dish of Old Gossip. 

]T is well known that nothing but the flavor of 
antiquity makes gossip at all endurable. No 
A man or woman could be expected to patiently 
if- re-ard a chapter of rrav^; gossip. Buthavmg 
accumutated material for a little chit-chat concern- 
ing people and events of a previous fme I feci em- 
boldened to retail some of it here. 

Perhaps nothing-not even the Revolutionary 
V-.r-seems more remote and shadowy to us ot 
to-"day than slavery. I do not mean the slavery 
that existed South of Mason and Dixon s Ime- 
althou.h it is pretty difficult to believe m that now 
_but The slavery that existed here in New Jersey, 
in Burlington county, in Moorestown. There are 
n,any who will fmd it difficult to realize that negro 
chvery ever was known here, where we live , but it 
;vas and not so great a number of years ago as 
nr Iht be supposed. There are persons sti 1 living 
";^on^ us who remember the last of the old slaves. 
The° Manumission Act, abolishing slavery inNew 
Jersey, was passed February 24th, 1820. By its 
-' (292) 



I 



A DISH OF OLD GOSSIP. 293 

provisions the children born of slave parents after 
July 4th, 1804, were to be free, the males on reach- 
ing the age of 25 years ; females at the age of 21. 
Slaves vvdio had reached a certain age before the 
law went into effect were to be provided for and 
taken care of by their former owners until their 
death, as it was held that old age incapacitated them 
for providing for themselves, and justice and 
humanity required that those whom they had served 
through their years of vigor should take care of 
them at the last. So late as 1844 there were still 
-colored people In New Jersey who under the terms 
of this law were yet technically slaves. In 1840 
there were 674 slaves in the State. 

Long before the Manumission Act was passed, 
or thought of, the Society of Friends had borne 
testimony to the wickedness of slavery, and had in 
their discipline prohibited members of the Society 
from holding slaves. Previous to that action, how- 
ever, slaves had been held in Friends' families here 
as well as elsewhere. Traditions still linger of old 
colored m^en and women who had once been the 
slaves of Friends here, and vv'ho were still cared for 
by their former masters and mistresses. In some 
instances they still lived on as paid servants In the 
families where they had once been slaves, knowing 
no difference except that now they got wages and 
could go away If they wanted to — which they 
apparently did not. 



294 MOORESTOWN, OLB AND NEW. ^ 

Sarah Elkton was the great-grandmother of Miss- 
Hannah Warrington, a very aged Friend, now liv- 
ing in West Moorestown, and probably the oldest' 
person in the place. When Sarah married John 
Roberts and went to live near Haddonfield, her 
father gave her, as his wedding present, two slaves. 
One of the children of these slaves was named 
Candas, and she married another slave named" 
Jethro Gungas. When the daughter of John and 
Sarah Roberts married, her father gave her Candas 
as a wedding present. When " freedom time" came 
Candas and Jethro were too old to be freed, and 
were cared for by their owner. Miss Warrington's- 
grandmother. They were still alive in Miss War- 
rington's youth, and her brothers gave them a sum 
of money sufficient to support them until their 
death. They had one son named Noble, who,, 
although practically free, was technically a slave. 
He had a wife and children, and had accumulated 
some property. As a matter of precaution he re- 
quested that his freedom be formally given him, so 
that no unforseen change of fortune might interfere 
with the interests of his family. His request was 
granted and he and his were made secure. 

Among- the recollections of an acred inhabitant 
here, is that of an old slave who was left by the 
Manumission Act in the hands of her owner, being 
too old for freedom. When at last the poor old 
"j'eature broke down utterly under the weight of" 



A DISH OF OLD GOSSIP. 295 

years, she was put into the smoke house and kept 
until she died. Then she was buried in the corner 
of a "worm" fence, so that her grave might not 
spoil any serviceable ground. 

An old couple who had been slaves, and whom" 
aged people here still recollect, were Frank Van- 
derbeck and Lydia his wife. After they became 
free they lived in the family of Commodore Trux- 
ton, East of Moorestown. They had a son who 
was noted throughout the region as a fiddler. Tab 
Still and Daphne, his wife, were another pair of ex- 
slaves who are well remembered by some of the 
older inhabitants here. " Billy" Bassett, an old 
negro v/ho had once been a slave, died in the neigh- 
borhood of Moorestown many years ago, but his 
nicmory is still alive among some of the old people 
here. He was over eighty years old when he died, 
and was known among his people as an eloquent 
preacher. 

There arc some living who still remember " Old 
Romy." lie was a well known character in his 
day, and was a relic of slavery days. He was an 
imported specimen, however, and represented for- 
eign slavery. A great many years ago a family 
named Haines, living on the Fellowship Road, be- 
came in ?ome unexplained manner the guardians of 
a group of liberated slaves sent here from Barbadoes. 
They were sent by friends or relatives of the Haines 
fannly living in Barbadoes, and the request was 



2C)J MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

made that the Himily here would look after the 
interests of the humble strangers, and help them 
to help themselves. The new-comers included 
**Romy" and his Avife and children; an old woman 
named Dinah, and a man named Tony. Dinah wa^ 
given a home in a neighboring family, and the 
others vv^ere given some ground, were helped to 
build cabins, an:! Vv'ere given a good start toward 
supporting themselves. 

One of th2 oddest things about " Old Romy" was 
his name. His former owner had evidently been 
an admiring, if not very discriminating, reader of 
Shakespeare, and had named his dusky man-ser- 
vant Romeo-JuIicL ! Of course the name had to be 
shortened in practice, and the first name instead of 
the last was the one retained. The closest estimate 
I have been able to obtain of the age of Mr. Juliet 
13 given in the assurance tliat "he must have been 
about as old as the everlasting hills." He was a 
wool-comber by trade, and travelled from house to 
house througlio'jt the region, combing the wool 
the house-wives had provided for their spinning 
and weaving. With the proceeds of his trade and 
of his little patch of ground the Shakspearian 
refugee was able to make a very comfortable living. 

The old man took an annual holiday, and went 
on a little excursion all by himself. There lived at 
Mt. Holly a gen':'eman, occupying an official posi- 
tion, v.-ho had re vDved thither with his wife from 



I 



A DISH OF OLD GOSSIP. 



297 



Virginia. There had been some kind of association 
between this gentleman's family and the friends 
v/ho had sent Romeo-Juliet from Barbadoes, and 
after his arrival here the old negro cultivated the 
acquaintance, keeping it up until the year of his 
death. Each year, when sweet potatoes were in 
their prime, "Old Romy" selected a number of the 
finest from his home garden. Then he killed and 
dressed a chicken v/hich had been carefully fattened 
for this special occasion. These preliminaries 
attended to, the old man dressed himself in his 
best, completing his toilet by putting on an old, 
long-skirted overcoat vrhieh somebody had given 
him. Into one of the immense side-pockets of this 
garment he put as many sweet potatoes as it would 
hold, and in the other the chicken was deposited. 

Thus freighted Romco-Juliet started on his yearh^ 
excursion. All the way to Mt. Holly the faithful 
old fellow trudged, on a pilgrimage of affection. 
To the house of his Virginia friends he would go, 
and present the good things he had brought in his 
pockets to the lady. She always accepted the 
offerings in the most appreciative spirit, and made 
her visitor welcome in a pleasant and hearty 
fashion. She always knew when to expect him, 
and was never unprepared for his visit. When he 
started for his homeward jaunt he invariably re- 
ceived a bundle of old clothes, which the lady had 
-selected for him, and the gift was often accompanied 



2ft8 HfOO^-ESTOWN, 01.D AND NEW, 

by a little hard cash. A curious feature of the 
transaction was that the old fellow was always sur- 
prised at receiving his bundle. He never expected 
any such thing. 

Tony, the other man of the Barbadoes party, was 
given a piece of ground a considerable distance 
from the home of his fellow-refugees, and some of 
the white people helped him to build a cabin. He 
lived quite a hermit's life there for a time, for he 
was the first and only settler. Gradually white 
people established their homes in his immediate 
neighborhood, and he found himself the founder of 
a community. In honor of the sable pioneer the 
new settlement was called " Tonytown." At length 
the name seemed hardly genteel enough to suit 
the more fastidious residents, and the place was 
formally christened Fellowship. But to this day 
Tonytown is the name that comes most readily to 
the lips of some of the old people hereabouts when 
Fellowship is the place spoken of 

Another extinct institution which is remembered 
by more people than have any recollection of 
slavery, is the public whipping-post. Its day ended 
somewhere about sixty years ago, but it had been 
a pretty long day. A certain specified class of 
crimes and misdemeanors were made punishable- 
by a greater or less number of lashes publicly 
scored on the bare back of the offender by the con- 
;::tnl)lc, Tlie mode of punishment yielded to the 



A DISH OF (dLD GOSSIP. 



399 



sentiment of the age, and was abolished ; but in 
recent years a reaction against the softer sentiment 
has begun to manifest itself. The whipping-post 
has been re-established in some places, and it may 
be that Moorestown will yet see its revival. In 
the old time the whipping-post here was the great 
sycamore tree just East of the William Penn HoteL 
Culprits w^ere fastened to the trunk that had origi- 
nally been intended to secure the horses of wor- 
shippers in the old Meeting House, and the 
sentence of the law was marked with the lash 
upon their backs. One of the last whippings ad- 
ministered there had a most tragic sequel. 

Between sixty and seventy years ago the old 
Cox Tavern, East of William Doughten's store, 
was l^pt by Joseph 1 Bright. He was not only hotel 
proprietor, but constable also; and a part of his 
official duty was to administar punishment to 
offenders at the whipping-post. One day he 
whipped a couple of men at the old sycamore,, 
and it was the last whipping he ever inflicted. A 
day or two afterward he drove out of town in his 
sulky on a business errand. He had not returned 
at dark, but in the night his horse was heard to 
enter the hotel premises. When some of the 
household went out, there stood the horse, still 
attached to the sulky, and there, with his foot fast 
in the wheel, and his battered head upon the ground, 
hung poor Joseph Bright, stone dead. His horse 



300 MOORESTUWN, OLD AND NEW. 

had run, and he had been dragged an unknov,-n 
distance by the foot. He was dreadfully mangled, 
and the first theory was that he had been thrown 
from his seat by the runaway, and had been caught 
by the foot and dragged to his death. But a further 
investigation led many to believe that his death was 
not the result of accident, but of murder. It was 
declared his foot could never have got into the 
wheel by accident in the peculiar manner in which 
it was fastened there, but must have been placed 
there by design. Physicians also asserted that 
there were injuries on the dead man's body which 
could not have resulted from being dragged by the 
foot, and these in themselves would have produced 
death. At length the belief became general that 
■Joseph Bright had been waylaid and murdered, and 
his dead body fastened by the foot to his sulky, 
after which his horse had been lashed into a run. 
If so the murderer v/as never caught and punished. 
The Cox Tavern under Joseph Bright's adminis- 
tration, as under the administration of those before 
and after him, was the headquarters of the v;ar-like 
citizens who participated in General Training. 
There is nothing in«our time that takes the place 
of " Training I^ay." The circus does not come 
within a long way of it; and the encampments of 
our State IMilitia bear no more resemblance to it 
than the service of the Paid Fire Department bears 
to a " run with the machine" under tlie escort of 



A DISH 07 OLD GOSSI?. ^01 



an old Volunteer Company. What elderly man - 
will ever forget the training days of his youth, with 
their "fuss and feathers," their gingerbread and 
beer, their dreadful din of fife and drum, and their 
motley gathering of all the elements from near and 
far? If he should forget all the rest he never can 
forget the bloody fights which the day inevitably 
brought. The occasion seemed to breed the fer- 
ment of war in the blood of some of the most 
peaceful soldiers; and when the whisky liberall>^ 
furnished in the bar-room of the Cox Tavern had 
had time to take full effect there was very sure to 
be blood in the eyes of at least half a score of men ; 
and such fights have never been seen since in 
Moorestown as were always seen on Training Day. 
Altogether it was one of the institutions that will 
do very well in memory and tradition, but nobody 
need wish to see revived. 

Mention has been made of the tribulations of the 
people hereabouts in Revolutionary times because 
of the predisposition of the British soldiers to 
assume the ownership of whatever property came 
within their reach. The owners of live stock had a 
particularly hard time of it, because of the difficulty 
of hiding horses and cattle. The grandfather of 
Miss Hannah Warrington, being fully aware of the 
risk his good horses ran of becoming some other 
iiian's horses, took timely precautions in his own 
\v3y. Every day he and his men would go into the 



302 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

field and chase the animals about, throwing their 
hats at them and making the most unearthly hulla- 
baloo that could be devised. The result was that 
the horses soon became as wild as the wildest spec- 
imen then ranging the prairies of the West. The 
owner of them had his reward. The British came, 
and all the neighbors saw their horses driven off; 
but in the field of this prudent man there was much 
racing and chasing and swearing, all with but 
-Slight effect. There was one young horse which 
the soldiers were specially ambitious to catch. 
They chased him until they v/ere tired and discour- 
aged. They went away, but some of them came 
back after marching a considerable distance, and 
renewed the attempt. Their second effort was no 
more successful than their first, and they finally 
withdrev/, leaving the horse to prance undisturbed. 
How long .it was before this enterprising Friend 
was able to catch any of his own horses is not 
related. 

A woman living in the same neighborhood had 
a very serviceable inspiration when the British came 
and her family silver was in danger. There was 
not time to bury it, even If she had been so minded. 
There was barely time to tie it up in a bundle. 
This was done, and then came the inspiration. The 
precious bundle was plumped into a tub of soft 
soap. Accustomed as they were to searching in all 
sorts of unlikely places for valii:iblcs, none of tht 



A DISH OF OLD GOSSIP. 



303 



soldiers thought of exploring the bottom of a soap 
tub, and the lucky owner had an opportunity of 
scouring her own silver bright again. 

Captain Murrel, of Burlington, the grandfather 
of the late Reuben Stiles, has been mentioned as a 
daring and successful scout in the Revolutionary 
army. When the Americans had regained posses- 
sion of Burlington a council of officers was held 
one night to decide on the fate of a prominent and 
active tory of the place. He had fled from home 
when the Americans got possession of Burlington, 
and had since been with the British. At this time, 
however, it had become known that he was secretly 
visiting his family in Burlington. At tlie council 
it was decided, after much consideration, that he 
should be caught and hung. The man was a 
neighbor and had been a friend of Captain Murrel, 
and that officer could not bear to think of his dying 
an ignominious death if an effort of liis could save 
him. So he slipped unperceived from the council 
room, ran to the tory's house, saw his wife, and 
told her that, if her husband v/as at home and 
valued his life he had better be gone in five minutes' 
time. Then he ran back to his companions before 
his absence had been noted. His thoughtful 
bravery — for if his action had been discovered he 
himself would have fared but ill — saved the lifb of 
his tory neighbor. When the searching party 
reached his lioii.sj h: v.m^. gone. He was heard 



^-)/1 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

from next in Philadelphia, and in a way that might 
well have made Captain Murrel repent his kindness. 
The tory refugee sent a letter to the man who had 
saved his life, not to thank him for his service, but 
to assure him that the writer had a halter for his 
rebel neck, and would put it there when the oppor- 
tunity offered ! 

Some seventy years ago a tragedy occurred which 
made a profound and lasting impression, not only 
in Moorestown but in a wide circle outside of it. In 
the latter part of the winter a party of four well known 
persons, co:iiprising Henry Warrington, Esther 
Collins, Ann Edwards and Nancy Stokes, left 
Moorestown in a carrage to visit friends across the 
river in Pennsylvania. They drove Northwax^d to 
the river, intending to cross on the ice. The winter 
had been a very severe one ; the ice had formed to 
a considerable thickness, and there had been a great 
deal of travel upon it. Too many heavy vehicles 
had traversed it for the safety of those who now 
wished to cross the river. Deep ruts had been cut 
in the ice, and recent warm weather had weakened 
the whole mass. 

Unconscious of any danger Plenry Warrington 
drove his horses upon the frozen bridge. They 
had gone a considerable distance from the shore, 
and Mr. Warrington was making a jesting remark 
to his companions, when, without any warning, 
the ice broke under them and horses and carriage 



A DISH OF OLD GOsSIP. 3O5. 

ivere In the water. Henry Warrington and Mrs. 
Stokes were oil the front seat of the carriage, and 
dieir escape was easy. He assisted Mrs. Stokes to 
step upon the unbroken ice, and followed her with- 
out any dif[lcult)^ This seemed the only way to 
assist the others, who were on the back seat of the 
carriaae, where the closed curtains prevented their 
getting out. As soon as the front seat was vacated 
Mrs. Collins stepped over it and endeavored, with 
Mr. Warrington's and Mrs. Stoke's help, to reach 
the ice. But she was a large and heavy woman ; 
the edge of the ice broke under her weight; she 
fell back into the water and was swept under the 
ice before her friends could make any further effort 
to save her. Mrs. Edwards was apparently stunned 
by the suddenness of the accident, and made no 
effort to leave her seat. The others urged her to 
come within their reach; but in a moment the swift 
current had drawn the carriage under the ice with 
the unfortunate woman still in her seat. 

The body of Mrs. Collins was recovered shortly 
after the accident, not far from where she had been 
drowned, and her funeral took place at the house 
of David Roberts on the Fellowship road. She 
had been a well and widely knoAvn woman, highly 
esteemed as a preacher in the Society of Friends, 
and greatly respected far and near as a person of 
superior character. Her death under any circum- 
stances would have been generally lamented; and 



05 MOOllESTttWx^, OLD AND NEW. 



the terrible manner in which it came made it doubly 
impressive. Her funeral was the largest that any 
of the old inhabitants remember in this vicinity. 
People came from Burlington, Philadelphia and from 
many other places to be present at the services. 

An old citizen now resident here, was then a 
boy living with David Roberts, and with a boy's 
curiosity he counted the vehicles assembled at the 
place on this occasion. There were one hundred 
and sixty-seven carriages, and thirty-five gigs and 
chairs. The carriages — or wagons as they were 
called — were of the old fashioned style, capable of 
holding six or seven persons, and all had come 
filled with occupants. When the train started for 
Moorestown the boy climbed out upon the roof of 
the house to watch the procession. When the 
head of the line had reached Moorestown the rear 
of it had not yet turned out of the Fellowship Road. 

The body of Mrs. Edwards was not found until 
the following summer. Some fishermen found the 
carriacre lodg^ed in a cove near Camden. The 
body of the drowned woman was still in it, and 
rilmost in the spot where she had been sitting be- 
fore the accident. Her funeral took place in 
^Moorestown on the Sunday following, and is said 
\o have been even more largely attended than that 
of Mrs. Collins. 

The " Log Cabin and Hard Cider Campaign" of 
1840 brought more political excitement to Moores- 



A DISH OF OLD GOSSIP. 



307 



^town than the old town had ever known before. 
Whether any time since has exceeded it is very 
doubtful. The flame that over-ran the whole 
country was as fierce here as elsewhere, and people 
indulged in excesses of enthusiasm which it is 
difficult to comprehend in an "off year." The 
largest meeting of the campaign, and at that time 
the largest political meeting ever held in Burlington 
■ county, was held at Gilbert Page's place, opposite 
the William Penn Hotel. Wagons loaded with 
men and boys came pouring in from all the sur- 
rounding country. Log cabins, trees with coons 
among the branches, typical cider barrels, flags, 
torches, transparencies, brass bands, men hoarse 
with shouting, boys wild with excitement, all com- 
bined to make that particular night one that is still 
vividly remembered by some of those who then 
lived here. 

The principal feature of the display was an im- 
mense log cabin, mounted on wheels. It had been 
dragged by four horses from Medford, and was 
inhabited by a crowd of enthusiastic men and 
boys. This particular cabin was afterwards taken 
to Baltimore to help out a big meeting there. 
The fervor of those who participated in the meeting 
at Gilbert Page's was kept up through a great 
part of the night, being re-info reed in numerous 
instances by fluids that Avere even more potent 
than hard cider. The next morning there was 



3oS MOORE.STOWN, OLD A\D NEW. 

less enthusiasm, but a good deal more serious- 
reflection, 

Gilbert Page seems to have been a man of many- 
parts in his time. He was postmaster, store- 
keeper, politician and prominent citizen generally. 
He not only kept a store and kept the postoffice, 
but he also kept geese. Between the Friends'' 
IMeeting House enclosure and the House which 
served Gilbert Page as residence, store and post- 
office, there was a shady lane, as there is now. 
Down that lane Mr. Page used to drive his 
geese, that they might forage along its pleasant 
length. 

His flock of geese nuniberc;! about thirty, and 
the owner took much pride in his web-footed 
tenantry. But one night some miscreant stole 
every goose of the flock, lea\^ing an old gander as 
the sole representative of what had been. The 
theft was bad enough, but the circumstances at- 
tending it made it especially exasperating. In a 
little bag the thieves had put a penny for every 
goose stolen, and placed the parcel in a conspicuous 
position in the immediate neighborhood of the 
gander's resting place. To the outside of the bag 
they had pinned a piece of paper on which had 
been written the following lines, to serve a'^ a speci- 
men of the talents possessed by tliese literarv 
brigands : 



A DISH OF OLD GOSSIP. 3O9 



« Dear Mr. Page, 

Don't be in a rage ; 
But if you do it's no wonder, 

For I bought all your gees 

For a penny a piece, 
And left the money with the gaud 



se 



er, 



As the old-school novelists used to say, Mr. 
Page's feelings may be more easily imagined than 
.described when he perused these lines and compre- 
hended their full import. From all accounts he 
was not a man who was much given to disguising 
his emotions. On the contrary he always gave 
them the most emphatic expression he could master. 
On this occasion he is reported to have exhausted 
a tolerably extensive vocabulary of vehemence. 
Accordingly no long time had elapsed before every- 
body knew just what had happened, and just how 
Mr. Page felt about it. 

Unhappily the perpetrators of this double crime 
ivere never discovered. It would be a pleasant 
thing to know that they had been suitably punished 
for "Stealing the geese, and twice punished for 
dropping into such poetry as that quoted. 

Another thieving enterprise that is still told of by 
some of the old people, had a different endmg. 
Sixty years or more ago a store was kept m the 
-building which is now a dwelling at the South- 
<€ast corner of Main street and Church Road, oppo- 
•site Georp-e Heaton's present store. The ground 



310 



MOORESTOWN. OLD AND NEW. 



where the Episcopal Church stands was at that 
time covered with a growth of bushes and small 
trees capable of affording a good hiding place for 
skulkers. 

One afternoon a couple of suspicious-looking 
fellows were seen lurking about the vicinity of the 
store ; and their actions and appearance set the 
proprietor to thinking that mischief was intended. 
He determined to set a watch for that night ; for 
there were no special policemen then, and he must 
needs depend upon his own resources. A shoe- 
maker, noted for his fleetness of foot, lived on the 
opposite side of Church Road, and he agreed to 
watch with the store keeper. In the night the two 
watchers heard noises in the store, and took prompt 
and decisive action. They acted in the wrong way,, 
however. Instead of going out at the back door 
and entrapping the intruders at the front door, they 
came into the store from the rear room where they 
had been posted, and the thieves made an easy exit 
at the front door by which they had entered. 

The volunteer police were armed with guns, so 
that things were not quite so bad as they might 
have been, after all. Both of them fired just as the 
fugitives took refuge in the bushes on the opposite 
corner. They hit one of the fellows and captured 
him ; but the other one got av/ay. However, they 
felt that it was better to catch one burglar than 
none at all. 



A D1>H or OLD GOSSIP. 3 1 1^- 

For so old a place there is a surprising small 
amount of legendary treasure buried beneath the 
surface of Moorestown. No ** Treasure Tree," or 
" Miser's Cave," or " Robbers' Rock" is known to 
exist anywhere about here. People seem to have 
acquired property and disposed of it in regular, 
humdrum fashion, except in the Revolution ; and 
the treasure that was buried then seems to have 
been all dug up again by its rightful owners. 

But the matter-of-fact old place is not quite bereft 
of money mystery. There is here what, in some 
places, would be considered an excellent chance to 
dig for treasure; but only a few know about it, 
and nobody at all knows where to dig. A good 
many years ago an old lady — long since dead and 
buried— dreamed a dream. It was a very vivid 
dream, and its clearness of detail convinced the 
dreamer that "there must be something in it." 
One of her ancesters, or else a neighbor of one of 
her ancestors, had done what a great many other 
people did in the time of the Revolution— buried 
money and valuables to keep them out of the hands 
of the British soldiers. In the dream this individual 
v/as seen to dig a hole at the foot of a fence-post 
at the rear of the old tan-yard below Union street 
and bury something; she was not seen to dig it up 
again ; therefore she never did dig it up, and it is 
lliere yet. The exact location of the post was noted 
by the dreamer, even to counting the number of 



312 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

posts between it and the corner, so that the par- 
ticular. post could be readily identified. 

No attempt was made to follow the leadings of 
this dream, for a very good reason : The dream was 
delayed until after Second street was laid out and 
opened, and consequently the entire fence seen in 
the dream had disappeared, and the buried treasure 
was astray somewhere in the middle of Second 
street. 

Some forty or fifty years ago an old house, long, 
hisfh and narrow, stood on the South side of Main 
street, just West of George Haverstick's present 
residence. Whatever it had been originally, it had 
at this time become a tenement occupied by a num- 
ber of colored families. The inhabitants of the old 
barracks are described as having been decidedly 
undesirable members of the community. There 
was good deal of brawling and disorder about their 
premises, and a good many petty depredations that 
were committed were charged to their account. 
It was decided that they must move, and a sort of 
Vigilance Committee was organized to carry the 
decision into effect. The committee was composed 
of young men, but who they were of course nobody 
knows. The tenants of the old house were notified 
that another and a distant place of residence was 
v/hat they m'ust hunt for and find within a given 
time. They heeded the warning and got out. 
Then, in order that no other like tenants should 



\ 



A DI3H OF OLD GOSSI?. 



313 



•occupy the house, it was decided that the building 
itself must go. Accordingly, one night chains 
and ropes were hitched to the timbers; numerous 
strong hands tugged at the chains and ropes in 
silence, and the old structure came to the ground. 
It is related that a magistrate of that day, who 
lived in the neighborhood, got wind of what was 
going on, and sympathized heartily with the move- 
ment. It would not do for him to openly counte- 
nance so unlawful a proceeding, but he sought out 
one of the young fellows whom he judged to be 
interested and said to him : '' If thee wants any 
ropes or anything at any time, there are some in 
my barn. The barn is not locked, so thee can 
lielp thyself and say nothing to me about it." 
His ropes helped pull down the old building, but 
they were in their place in the barn the next 
mornin^. 




Chapter X> 

Some Old Reading Matter, 

GOOD deal of important literary work was 
done by some of the earlier citizens here, 
which but few people have ever had the 
opportunity of reading. Perhaps but few 
people would care for the opportunity of reading 
some of it ; for, while it had a great deal of meaning 
it had a still greater amount of words, and a good 
deal of patient effort is required to shake the ideas 
out of the wordy entanglement in which they have 
been caught. Still some of the old documents 
which, like the names of newspaper correspondents, 
had to be given, "not necessarily for publication, 
but as evidence of good faith," — the conveyances of 
real estate, and the like — have an interest of their 
own, at least for some readers ; and therefore it 
may not be amiss to offer a sample or two here for 
perusal. 

The first is a deed for certain property on Penis- 
auken Creek, conveyed in the year 1695, by Charles 
Rcadc to Robert Stiles, one of the ancestors of the 
(314) 



I 



SOME OLD READING MATTER. 



315 



ate Reuben Stiles, for so many years Assessor of 
Moorestovvn. The document is written out with 
^reat care on sheepskin, the upper edge of which 
is left untrimmed. Elaborately illuminated letter- 
ing at the head introduces the text of the instru- 
ment, and a quaint little square seal of red wax in 
the center of the bottom edge testifies to the regu- 
larity and authority of the transfer described. The 
handwriting is clear and beautiful, with many 
flourishes, and the lines of writing are as straight 
and even as if ruled. There is an untrammelled 
freedom in the use of capitals that is charming, and 
some of the abbreviations, as well as some of the 
spelling are calculated to startle the reader of to-day. 
Following is the full text of the document: 

Tins Identure made the Twenty seventh day of 
the fifth month called July in the year of our Lord 
one thousand six hundred ninety and five Be- 
tween Charles Read of the Town of Philadelphia 
in the Province of Pennsilvania Taylor af the one 
part And Robert Stiles of the same place Sawyer 
of the other part Witnesseth that the said Charles 
Reade for and in consideration of the full sum of 
Sixty pounds current money of the said Province 
to him in hand pd or secured to be paid by the sd 
Robert Stiles at or before ensealing and delivery of 
these presents the receipt wlicroof and every part 
and parcel thereof he the said Charles Reade dotb 



■■Jl(j MOOK.^oio.VN, OLD AND NEW, .' 

acknowledge and thereof and of every part thereof 
doth acquit Release exonerate and discharge the sd 
Robert Stiles his Heirs Executors & Administra- 
tors And every of them forever by these presents 
Hath Given granted bargained and Sold Allyon'd 
Enfeoffed and confirmed and by these p'sents 
doth fully clearly & absolutely give grant bargain 
& sell Allyen Enfeoff & confirm unto the sd Robert 
Stiles his Heirs & Assigns forever four hundred ^c 
twenty five acres of land situate lying and being 
between the two brr::ichcs of Pensauken Creek 
in the Province of West New Jersey bounded on 
the East wnth William Clark's land and on the west 
with the land of John Rudderough excepting two 
small parcels of meadovv^ and swamp land wch lyes 
before the land of the sd Rudderough fronting the 
creek the one parcell lying below the sd Rudder- 
ough's house beginning at an oak for a corner by 
the creek side runs east south east seven chains to 
a marked corner thence north five chains to the 
creek again and so down the severall courses of the 
same to the first mentioned oak Surveyed and laid 
out for six acres the other parcell lying above tlie 
sd Rudderough's house begins at th^ lower end o[ 
the meadov/ by the creek side adjoyntng to the 
upland and runs by the same seven chains to a 
corner thence east to the creek and so down the 
same to the first station layd out for four acres (as 
the Surveyor's draught thereof more fully may ap- 



SOME OLD READING MA'lli-.i;. 217 

pear) Which said land and meadow was purchased" 
by the sd Clnrles Rcade the one three hundred 
acres thereof from Joseph Adams and Mary his 
wife by Indenture bearing date the thirteenth day 
of August Anno Domini 1694 and one hundred and 
twenty fiv^e acres of it (wch makes up the Compleat 
Quantity of 423 acres above granted) from George 
Hutcheson by Indenture bearing date the Twenty 
sixth day of September Anno Domini 1694 (as by 
their said Indentures Relation thereunto being had 
more largely may appear) Together wth all the Edi- 
fices and improvemts thereupon and all and every 
the mines mineralls woods meadows pastures feed- 
ings hawkings huntings ffishings fowlings & all 
other the Royalties and privilidgcs Prohtts Com- 
modities and appurtenances whatsoever to the same 
belonging or in anywise appertayning And all the 
Estate Right Tytle Interest Possession claime & 
demand whatsoever of him the said Charles Rcade 
in Law and Equity or either of them in or unto the 
sd granted promisses or any part thereof And the 
Provisions & Remainders thereof & of every part 
and pareell thereof To Have & To Hold the sd 
four hundred & twenty five acres of land & meadow 
wth the appurtenances and every part thereof unto 
the sd Robert Stiles his Heirs & Assigns forever 
To the only proper use and behoof of him the sd 
Robert Stiles his Heirs & Assignes forevermorc 
And the said Charles Reade doth for himselfe his 



^l8 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. l 

Heirs Executors & Administrators covenant pi .nn- 
ise & grant to & with the sd Robert Stiles his Heirs 
& Assignes by these p'sents that at the time of the 
enseahng and dehvery of these p'sents he stood 
Rightfully seized of the land and premises above 
granted and that he had good Rightful! power and 
LawfuU authority to sell and confirm the same unto 
the said Robert Stiles his Heirs & Assignes in 
maner & form afforesd And that he hath not wit- 
tingly or willingly committed suffered or done any 
act matter or thing whatsoever whereby or by rea- 
son whereof the sd granted premises or any part or 
parcell thereof is or shall or may be chtirged bur- 
thened or encumbered in any Style Charge Estate 
or otherwise howsoever (other than the Quit Rents 
thereout Issuing to the Chief Lord of the Soil wth 
the arrears thereof if any be) but the same against 
him the sd Charles Reade & his Heirs ag'st tlic 
Heirs of Joseph Adams & Mary his wife aga'st the 
Heirs of Hutcheson and against all their Heirs and 
against all person & persons whatsoever claiming 
or to claim from by or under him them or any of 
them their means privity consent or procurem't 
sliall and will warrant 8z forever defend by these 
p'sents And further that the sd Charles Read his 
Heirs or Assignes shall and will at all times here- 
after during the space of seven years next ensuing 
execute such further & other Lawful! Acts for the 
.further confirmation of e above granted premises 



SOME OLD READING MATTER. 



3^£ 



Avth the appurtenances unto the sd Robert Stiles 
his Heirs & Assignes as by him or them shall be 
reasonably Required so as such further assurances 
containe no other Warranty than is above Express- 
ed In Witness whereof the party first above 
named to this p'sent Indentures hath set his hand 
and Seal the day and year first above written 1695. 

Charles^JJ^JReade 

The outside of this elaborate instrument is en- 
dorsed, with much involved flourishing, as follows : 

" Sealed and delivered in p'sence of 

William Alberson, 
William Hearn, 
William Alberson, Juner. 

A further endorsement reads : 

" Be it remembered that on this twentyeth day 
of April Anno Dom : one thousand seven hundred 
and twenty-six p'sonally came and appeared before 
me Daniel Cox Esquire one of the judges of the 
County Court for holding pleas for the County of 
Hunterdon in the Pro. of New Jersey William 
Hearn one of the witnesses above signed being one 
the people called Quakers who on his solemn 
affirmation according to law doth declare that he 
was present and saw Charles Reade the grantor 



320 RIOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

v/'thin named sign seal and deliver the within written 
Instrument of bargain and sale to the uses therein 
mentioned and that at the doing thereof the two 
other subscribing witnesses were p'sent. 

William Hearn. 
Affirmed before me 
Daniel Coxe." 



The matter is finished up with the following final 
endorsement: 

*' Burlington April 20th 1726 

Recorded the within written deed ing' 
Publick Records of the Province of West Jersey in 
Lib. D. Vol. 94, 95. 

Sam'l Bushkill, 
D Sec'y." 

Tlie next of these old writings is about seventy 
years younger than the preceeding but has more 
immediate reference to Moorestown affiirs, as it is 
a deed transferring the property on which stands 
the house that has been referred to in these pages 
as the old " Smith Mansion," and the " Harris Man- 
sion" — the historic house in w^hich some stirring 
Revolutionary scenes were enacted, and in which 
the first public religious services in Moorestown, 
outside of the Friends' Meeting Houses, were held. 
The document is a parchment sheet of formidable 



SOME OLD READING MATTER <nj 

dimensions. It is executed with but little of 
the elaborate ornamentation that characterized the 
older one already given ; but although the ink has 
paled with time, the writing is clear, and follows 
carefully ruled lines across the ample width of the 
page. There is a reckless liberality in the use of 
capitals that is compensated for by the extreme 
parsimony shown respecting punctuation marks. 
The deed bears date August 2, 1766, and is as 
follows : 

This Indenture Made the Second day of August 
in the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Se\-en; 
Hundred and Sixty Six Between Joshua Hum- 
phries of the Township of Chester in the County of 
Burlington and Western ]:)ivision of the Province 
of New Jersey Yeomen and Increase his Wife of 
the One part, and Samuel Smith of the City of Bur- 
lington and Province aforesaid Esquire of the Other 
part Whereas Robert Clinton by Sundry good 
Conveyances in the Law heretofore had and Duly 
Executed became Seized in fee of and in One full 
Equal and undivided Sixth part o{ a Propriety to 
Lands in West Jersey and being the.. A Seized Did 
by Deeds of Lease and Release Dated the Twclvcth- 
and Thirteeth Days of May Anno Domini 16S2 
Grant and Convey the said Sixth part of a Pro- 
priety Unto Thomas Martin in fee as !)y said Deeds 
recorded in the Secretarys office in lUirlington in 



322 



MOOR ES TOWN, OLD AND NEW. 



Lib B fol 109, will appear. And Whereas the said 
Thomas Martin being so Seized by Letter of At- 
torney Dated the Twenty Ninth of August Anno 
1684 im power his Brother James Martin to Sell 
and Convey all his Estate in West Jersey as by the 
said Letter of Attorney recorded in the said Office 
in Book B aforesaid fol ^S will appear. And 
Wliereas the said James Martin being Impowered 
as aforesaid Did by Deed Dated the Twenty fifth 
day of September Anno Domini 1686 Grant and 
Convey the said Sixth part of a Propriety unto 
Thomas Rodman of Rhode Island in fee as by said 
Deed of record in said office in Book B aforesaid 
fol 109 will appear And Whereas the said Thomas 
Rodman being So thereof seized Caused part of the 
said Share to be Surveyed in the Townships of 
Cliester and Evesham as by a Survey thereof re- 
maining and on Record in the Surveyor Generals 
office in Burlington in Lib A fol i will appear, and 
being thereof Seized as aforesaid Died having first 
made his last Will and Testament and therein Did 
Give and Devise the Said Land with other Lands 
unto his son Clark Rodman in fee Who being 
Seized thereof Did by Deed of Lease and release 
Dated the Twelveth and Thirteenth Days of Octo- 
ber Anno Domini 1730 Grant and Convey three 
Hundred acres part of the Said Lands to Francis 
ITogsett in fee as by Said Deeds Recorded in the 
Secretarys office in Lib E fol 207 will appear. 



I 



SOME OLD READING MATTER. 323 

And Whereas the said Francis Hogsett being sc 
Seized 13id by Deed of Bargain and Sale Dated the 
first Day of April Anno Domini 1734 Grant and 
Convey One Hundred and Eighty acres and three 
rood part of the said three Hundred acres unto 
Nehemiah Haines in fee as by said Deed recorded 
in the said Office in Lib E aforesaid fol 166 will 
appear. And the said Nehemiah Haines being So 
thereof seized Did Together with Ann his wife 
Grant and Convey One Hundred and Seventy nine 
acres and three rood of the Same unto Joshua 
Humphries the partie hereto his heirs and assigns 
as by said Deed Dated the Twenty eight Day of 
March in the year of Our Lord One Thousand 
Seven Hundred and Thirty Eight refference being 
thereto had will appear. And Whereas the said 
Joshua Humphries being seized of rights unlocated 
Land Caused to be Surveyed the Quantity of 
Seventeen acres two rood Situate on a branch of 
of the Mullica River called Mechescatuxing in the 
County of Gloucester as by the Survey thereof re- 
maining in the Surveyor Generals Office it will 
appear. Now This Indeture Witnesseth That 
the said Joshua Humphries and Increase his Wife 
for and in Consideration of the Sum of Nine Hun- 
dred and Sixty three pounds Current money of 
Said Province to the Said Joshua Humphries in 
hand paid by the said Samuel Smith at or before 
the Ensealing and Delivery of these presents the 



3^4 



MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 



receipt Whereof he the said Joshua Humphries- 
doth hereby Acknowledge and thereof and Every 
part and parcel thereof Doth Clearly Acquit and 
Discharge the said Samuel Smith his Executors 
and Administrators and Every of them by these 
presents Have Granted Bargained and Sold Aliened 
Enfeofed Conveyed and Confirmed And by these 
presents Do Grant Bargain and Sell Alien Enfeof 
Convey and Confirm unto the said Samuel Smith 
and to his heirs and assigns two pieces of Land the 
one being All that his Farm Plantation and Tract 
of Land Situate Lying and being in the Township 
of Chester aforesaid and is part of the Land above 
recited being Bounded as followeth Beginning at a 
Stake Standing on the North side of the Road 
Leadincr throuf^h Moores Town which Stake is 
Corner to a Lot of Land belonging to Joshua 
Humphries Jun'r and stands One Hundred and 
thirty foot from a stone Corner to Joshua Bisphams 
Land then by the said Humphries Lot South thirty 
five degrees fifteen minutes East fifty two Chain to 
a Stake Standing in William Hootens Line then by 
the same South fifty nine degrees West thirty two 
Chain and forty links to Stake near a Water Oak 
Bush marks Corner to John Middletons Land then 
by the same North thirty two degrees West forty 
five chain and twenty three links to the Corner of 
a Lot Sold by the said Humphries to Thomas 
Lippincott then by the same North Sixty Seven 



SOME OLD READING MATTER. -.2? 

Degrees East two Chain and Six Links to a Stone 
Corner to the Same then still by Said Lot North 
Twenty One Degrees thirty minutes West Ten 
Chain and twenty five Links to a Stake in the Line 
of Charles Frenchs Land on the North Side of the 
said Road, then along the Said Frenchs Line North 
Sixty Six Degrees thirty minutes East Twenty Six 
Chains and thirty eight Links to the place of Be- 
ginning Containing One Hundred and Sixty acres 
and two rood of Land The Other being the One 
Equal half part of all that piece of Cedar Swamp 
above recited to be at the said Samuel Smiths 
choice Together with all and Singular the Houses 
Edifices Buildings Orchards Pastures Commons 
Woods Woodlands Water Water Courses Mines 
Minerals profits Commodities Hereditaments and 
Appurtenances Whatsoever to the said two parcels 
of Land belonging or in any Wise appertaining or 
therewithal used Occupied or Enjoyed or Accepted 
reputed taken and known as part parcel and mem- 
ber thereof And all the Estate right Title Literest 
use Trust property Possession Claim and Demand 
Whatsoever of them the Said Joshua Humphries 
and Licrease his Wife of in and to the Premises and 
Every or any part or parcel thereof And the Rever- 
sion and Reversion Remainder and Remainders 
Yearly and other rents and profits of the premises 
and of Every part and parcel thereof Together with 
all and Singular Deeds Evidences and Wrighting 



226 MO.«);;K .i\>,\;N, oi.u .vND new. 

Touching and Concerning the Said Premises only 
To Have And Hold the Said Farm riantation and; 
Tract of Land as above Bounded and Described as 
also the one half part of the Said Cedar Swamp 
and all Singular Other the premises hereinbefore- 
mentioned meant or intended to be hereby Granted 
Alienated Released or Confirmed and every part 
and parcel thereof With their and Every of their 
appurtenances unto the Said Samuel Smith his 
heirs and assigns To the only proper use benefit and 
behoof of him the said Samuel Smith his heirs and 
assigns forever. And the Said Joshua Humphries 
for himself his heirs Executors and Administrators, 
and for Increase his Wife Doth Covenant Promise- 
Grant and agree to and With the Said Samuel 
Smith his heirs and assigns and Every of them by 
these presents in Manner and Form following That 
is to Say, That the Said Joshua Humphries at the 
time of the Ensealing and Delivery of these presents 
is Seized of and in the Said Farm and Tract of 
Land and also the Said Cedar Swamp and all and 
singular Other the premises in and by these pre- 
sents Granted Bargained and Sold With all Every 
their Rights members and appurtenances Of a 
good sure perfect and absolute Estate of Liheritance 
in fee simple Without any Condition Reversion 
Remainder or Limitation of any use or uses Estate 
or Estates in or to any Person or Persons whatso- 
ever to Alter Change Defeate Determine or make 



K 



SOME OLD READING MATTER 



O TV 

0^/ 



Void this present Grant. And that the said Joshua 
Humphries at the Time of Ensealsng and DeHvery 
of these presents Hath full power Good right and 
Lawful authority to Grant Bargain Sell and Convey 
all and Singular the before herewith Granted or 
Mentioned to be Granted premises with their and 
Every of their appurtenances unto the said Samuel 
Smith his heirs and assigns in IMannerand Form 
aforesaid And Further the said Joshua Humphries 
Covenants and agrees to and vv'ith the said Samuel 
Smith and his heirs and assigns as followeth that is 
to Say that it shall and may be LawfuU for the 
said Samuel Smith his heirs and and assigns at any 
Time hereafter to Cause a Division of the said 
Swamp to be made and to take his their choice of 
the part they see fit. And Lastly the said Farm 
Plantation and Tract of Land With the One half of 
the said Cedar Swamp in the Quiet and Peaceful 
Possessions of him the said Samuel Smith his heirs 
and assigns against the LawfuU Claims of All Per- 
sons Whatsoever he the said Joshua Humphries 
and his heirs shall and Will for Ever Warrant and 
Defend. In Witness Whereof he the said Joshua 
Plumphries and Increase his Wife have to this In- 
denture Set their hands and Seals the Day and 
year above Written 1776. 

Jos'a Humphries ^sbalj 

Lnxrease Humphries (^^i^ 



^28 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. ) 

Sealed and Delivered In presence of 

Jos Imlaye 
Danl Ellis 

Rec'd August the Second 1766 of Samuel Smith 
Esq'r the Sum of Nine Hundred and Sixty three 
pounds In full of the Consideration money above 
mentioned I say Rec'd by me 

Jos'a Humphries 
V Witnesses 

Jos Imlaye Dan'l Ellis 

I think the reader will agree v/ith me, that if it 
was as hard work to write these specimens of old 
time literature as it is to read them, the composers 
of them earned a goodly share of all the property 
they conveyed. 




Chapter XXL 

An Old Neighbor. 

OORESTOWN enjoys the friendly acquain- 
tance of a good many old neighbors who 
settled in the wilderness and began to 
'?i^ grow up with the country about the same 
time that she did. Some of them are near 
and some remote, bCit they are all on familiar speak- 
ing terms, and have a bond of fellowship in the 
common memory of the old times whose hardships 
and whose rugged enjoyments they shared. 
Among them all perhaps there is none with which 
Moorestown has so intimate a relationship as with 
Colestown. If it were possible for one old town to 
drop in on another for an afternoon chat, we can 
well imagine that these two old cr9nies would grow 
garrulous together in recalling the events both have 
known and the experiences they have shared. 
Many of their dead slumber together; and many of 
their living worshipped together for years. The 
ties of association are numerous and strong. 

Colestown is the older of the two. Indeed it is 
older by a century than the Declaration of Indepen- 
(329) 



2^ MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

dence; for Colestown was founded in 1676. The 
place was named for Samu'rl Coles who located a 
large tract of land near there in the early days of 
the place, and who became a person of much prom- 
inence and consideration. His descendents for very 
many years were prominent and influential in the 
affairs of the neighborhood, the family being speci- 
ally distinguished for patriotism in the Rev^olution- 
ary times. For a long time Colestown was a lead- 
ing community hereabouts, and held its own bravely 
in the way of active prosperity. With the construc- 
tion of new lines of communication, however, its 
importance vanished. It was left on one side of 
the grand highways. The tide of travel flo\yed past 
it at a distance, and it ceased to be an active busi- 
ness center. Gradually it fell further and further 
back in the race until now in its old age it sits 
quietly in its place and thinks of what has been; 
It has shriveled up with age, and the outlines that" 
were well rounded and plumply filled out in youth 
are now but vaguely defined and show but very 
meagre substance. 

Colestown lies between three and four miles from 
Moorestown, on the road to Haddonfield. The 
road is not long ; but in the bright summer weather, 
with the dust laid by recent rains, which yet have 
not been sufficient to accomplish mud, it is a way 
of delight. Indeed it would be difficult to select a 
more exquisitely beautiful drive. Tlierc is no dead 



AN OLD NEIGHBOR. 



331 



level, but on the other hand there is no rusfsred 
abruptness. The landscape stretches away in pleas- 
antly satisfying variety. The surface undulates in 
smoothly rounded swells, so that there is variety 
everywhere. Fields of grass and of waving grain, 
with their limitless variations of color lie spread out 
on every hand. Trees of many growths are grouped 
in pleasant fashion here and there. Farm houses, 
some of them a century old, stand along the road ; 
and between them are spaces of country solitude so 
quiet and undisturbed that wild rabbits and squir- 
rels are encouraged to indulge in their antics there. 
Now and then a rustic lane or a country cross road 
takes its way among the fields, and invites the 
traveller to come away into even quieter seclusion 
than he finds on the road to Colestown, 

No, it is not a long road but it suffices to take 
one quite away from even the echoes of city and 
town life. The railroad might be the breadth of a 
county away for all you see or hear of it. If you 
have taken your drive in the right time of the day 
you will encounter the stage on its way from Cam- 
den to Fellowship, for you have got into a region 
where the railroad is a convenience for other people, 
and where hurry and racket seem to have no place 
in the economy of life. 

If this is your first excursion in this direc- 
tion you will be at a loss to know when you 
get to Colestown ; and in any case the demark- 



^^2 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

ation between the town and its suburbs Is but vagu? 
and dimly defined. Indeed there is no village, i:i 
the sense of a close cluster of houses, with stores, 
hotel and shops. There used to be such in the old, 
old times ; but Colestown, in the village sense, is 
but a memory; and now the name is floated indef* 
initely over a rural neighborhood. But what a 
lovely neighborhood it is! It is difficult to believe 
that the old place could have been half as pretty as 
it is now, when it was a thriving, ambitious town 
with a future before it, as well as a past behind it 

Seeing the beauty of it, and the lovliness of the 
country around it, it is easy to understand how it 
came to be a favorite place of resort for invalids and 
pleasure-seekers in the days gone by. The instinct 
to seek health and recreation away from home was 
as stroncf then as now, and the difficulties in o^oincf 
very far for such purposes were infinitely greater. 
So it was a capital thing to have a thorough-going 
watering place right here within easy reach. 

Here was a copious mineral spring, with an un- 
failing supply of water that smelled and tasted bad 
enough to commend it to the most exacting invalid. 
Science had given a diploma to- the enterprising pro- 
prietor of the spring in the shape of an analysis of 
its waters ; and the enterprising proprietor aforesaid 
had the record of the analysis cut in artistic letters 
on a marble tablet and the tablet set up b:side the 
spring for all to read and be convinced. He more- 



) 



AN OLD NEIGHBOR. o o ^■ 

over built a hotel, or sanitarium on the ground, and 
reaped the harvest from the good seed he had so 
wisely sown. 

Sick people came in numbers to drink the waters ; 
and whether it was because the waters were potent^ 
or because the place was so lively and pleasant, or 
because the marble tablet was so convincing, or 
because of all these things, many who came got 
better, and therefore many more came. It is a cur- 
ious fact that almost any place v/hich attracts 
invalids also attracts well people and speedily be- 
comes a place of popular resort and fashionable 
gayety. So Colestov/n became, in a small way, a 
center of pleasant social dissipation. The Fountain 
Hotel, as the sanitarium was called, w^as a frame 
structure of moderate proportions, but for that time 
was considered rather large than otherwise ; and in 
''the season" it was filled to overflowing with guests. 
Its rooms were all taken by people who came for a 
regular campaign of greater or less duration. But 
aside from these, there were frequent incursions of 
transient parties who rode or drove from some of 
the neighboring regions for a day's pleasuring. To 
go to Colestown in those days meant very much 
what going to the sea-shore means in these. 

It is a pity that such good times should come to 
an end, but they did. The Fountain Hotel ceased 
to be a place of resort, and not only that but it dis- 
appeared utterly from the face of the earth, and now 



534 



MOORESTOWN. OLD AND NEW. 



there are not many who remember that there eve? 
was such a place. The marble tablet, too, has long 
since gone, and nobody can now tell what potent 
elements that water contained. One old lady who 
visited the hotel and drank from the spring before 
the popular tide had been diverted from it, says the 
v/ater " v/as bad enough to be good," and people 
who once drank of it were not likely to forget it. 
With this generalization we have to be content. It 
is said that one or two antiquarians know just where 
the old spring was located, but if so they keep the 
knowledge to themselves, and nobody else seems 
able to tell. About a quarter of a century ago a 
Philadelphia visitor had the place pointed out to 
him by an old resident ; but a recent attempt of his 
to rediscover the spring was entirely without suc- 
cess. The old guide of the former occasion had 
passed away, and nobody could be found who knev/ 
where to look for what used to be a spot of great 
and lively importance. An almost forgotten tradi- 
tion is all that remains of what was once a happy 
fact for very many of the young and old in Moores- 
town, and in the region round about. 

Co^estown still retains one monument of the past 
which associates it very intimately with Moorestown 
— St. Mary's Protestant Episcopal Church. Refer- 
ence has been made in a previous chapter to the 
age of this venerable building, and to the parental 
r^^lation in which it stands to Trinty Church ia 



. AN OLD NEIGHBOR. 335 

Moorcstown. It is not only one of the oldest 
churches in New Jersey, but for many years it was 
the only Episcopal Church in this region, and was 
the place of worship for all the Episcopalians in 
IMoorestown, and in the surrounding country as 
well. Trinity parish, the child and successor of St. 
Mary's, was established — how and when have been 
fully described elsewhere— but the old church still 
remains ; and there is not, within many miles, a 
more interesting place to visit than is St. Mary's 
Church at Colestown. 

It is not an imposing edifice. Those who imagine 
that an episcopal church must have stone walls 
pierced with pointed windows and thickly overgrown 
with clinging ivy, and that a hoary tower of ancient 
masonry must point Heavenward from at least one 
of its corners, will find their imaginings rudely 
upset at sight of this one. No Friends' meeting 
house could be more severely plain and simple than 
this old church. It is of wood, and not the slight- 
est attempt has been made at ornament in any direc- 
tion. Even paint has been withheld, and the 
weather beaten boards show only the soft gray color 
that the winds and the rains bestov/ upon whatever 
wood is left for them to decorate. 

The building is of moderate size and rather low. 
It stands with its gable end to the street, and the 
door is in the side toward the South. Above the 
door projects a little roof, like a square shelf, with 



336 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

no support save what it gets from the timbers in 
the wall behind it. There it has hung for genera- 
tions, without post or brace to hold it up; and it is 
as straight and level to-day as ever, a good example 
of the "sincere" work that was done in the good 
old times. 

There are six windows, two on each side and one at 
either end ; and not one of them is arched or pointed 
or anything else than uncompromisingly right- 
angled. These are protected on the outside by solid 
wooden shutters, fastened by strong and quaint old 
fashioned latch-bolts ; while the door is secured by 
a lock so solid and massive that it might almost 
protect a bank vault. A little chimney of red brick 
sprouts up from the middle of the roof-peak, and 
that chimney is the nearest approach to a tower 
that is visible about the church. 

But it is not until the visitor has entered the 
building that he gets the full flavor of its quaint old 
age. There are no carpeted aisles stretching for- 
ward between ranks of closely ranged pews ; no 
arrangements anywhere for cushioned comfort ; few 
attempts at anything like beauty or elegance, and 
no signs of any purpose to use space to the best 
advantage. Not only does the place and every- 
thing in it look old, but in fashion and arrangement 
it all speaks of the simple tastes and habits of a 
primitive people. 



AN OLD NEIGHBOR. 337 

Tlfe first and strongest impression on cntering 
is of old unpainted wood. It is pretty nearly every- 
v/liere. The rounded ceiling, close under the roof, 
is plastered and whitened, and there is a narrow- 
strip of plastered wall running around the building 
under the gallery, and a space of white plaster 
shows at the side of the room opposite the entrance 
door; but all the rest is wood, and for the most 
part unpainted. The floor is bare and the walls are 
wainscotted to within a short distance of the galler}^ 
At the gallery floor the wainscotting begins again 
and is continued to the ceiling. 

At the left of the door, as you enter, is the rob- 
ing room. A wooden partition with a door in it, 
juts out into the church space for a distance, then 
turns a right angle and goes off toward the left. 
There is no ceiling to the little room, so the occu- 
pant has air to breathe. He also has light, for, the 
partition encloses the window at the left of the 
entrance; but he has not much space in which to 
stand up, for the gallery stairs slope across the top 
of the enclosure, converting it into a stairway closet. 

Two of these staircases lead up to the gallery 
from the opposite ends of the Southern front, and 
each is guarded, not by bannisters and rail, but by 
a solid board screen which extends from the floor 
to the gallery, and which is high enough to conceal 
all but the shoulders and head of the person who 



^^8 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

g"oes up or comes down. A peculiarity oft the 
arrangement is that the stairs instead of starting 
near the door, begin the ascent as far from the door 
as possible, so that the worshipper who seeks a 
gallery seat has to travel half the length of the 
building before he reaches the foot of the stairs. 
The gallery itself extends along the front and across 
both ends of the building, and is boxed in by a 
high, solid board screen that extends along its 
entire front. 

Over the front door, between the heads of the 
two staircases, is the choir, which is separated from 
the rest of the gallery by a board partition at each 
end. Here as well as in the rest of the gallery, 
rows of wooden benches, rising gradually toward 
the wall, furnish seats for the gallery occupants. 
Down stairs, also, wooden benches, furnished with 
comfortable backs and arms, but with never a 
thought of cushions, are arranged in rows across 
the floor, with a broad aisle through the middle of 
the church. The whole arrangement of seats 
shows utter carelessness as to economy of space. 

Of course all these details do not present them- 
selves at first; but the impression of old wood 
emphasizes itself so strongly that the observer has to 
analyze it first of all, and so he takes note of all 
the solid, unpainted masses — the partitions of the 
robing room, the high-screened stair-cases, the 
bottom and front of the gallery, the uncovered floor 



AN OLD NEIGHBOR. 



339 



'.and the rows of benches. But he does all this with 
the consciousness that the effect which he is analyz- 
ing is heightened by a vivid contrast, and as soon as 
ilie can he gives his attention to the first object that 
presented itself to him in clear individuality as he 
-entered. This is the pulpit. 

It is placed on the North side of the church 
directly opposite the door and looms up, high and 
white, in front of the visitor as he enters. It is a 
round box, painted a clear white, and is so high 
that it must be entered by ascending quite a flight 
of stairs. The occupants of this pulpit whether 
they were learned or otherwise, must always have 
"^' preached far above the heads of their congrega- 
tion." Above the pulpit hangs a quaint, round 
sounding board, also painted white. The reading- 
desk below is another white object. The chancel 
ixail, projecting far into the body of the church, is 
-of mahogany surmounting white banisters. The 
space inside the rail is carpeted, and this is the 
only portion of the firor redeemed from bareness, 
as the pulpit and its accessories show the only 
■paint to be seen in the building. 

High above the pulpit and on either side of it, 
are two little square windows to afford light to the 
clergyman, and they must be rather trying to the 
•eyes of the congregation on a bright day. The six 
large windows of the church are not so very large, 
.but each of them contains twenty-four panes of 



340 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW, 

glass, twelve in either sash. The panes are very 
small and the sashes are very large, giving the 
impression of a great deal of wood to not very 
much glass. 

These eight windows afforded sufficient light for 
the day service, but what provision was made for 
evening service ? On one of the smooth, round, un- 
painted columns which support the gallery is nailed 
a little shelf. On this shelf was set a candle-stick 
and the solitary candle that burned therein is said 
to have given the light enjoyed by the congregation 
on night occasions. A couple of candles placed 
on the pulpit and the reading desk gave the clergy- 
man what light he needed ; and these scant appli- 
ances for illumination v/ere the substitute for chan- 
deliers and candelabra. 

Warmth seems to have been better provided for 
than light. In the very center of the church stands 
a stove which, while it is a good deal younger than 
tlie building, is itself in the enjoyment of a hale old 
age. It is of a pattern long since obsolete, and 
was made when wood was the accepted fuel and 
anthracite had not assumed the place it now holds. 
Straight up from the top of the stove ascends a 
slender, black column of stove-pipe, its summit 
disappearing in the bottom of the little chimney. 
The stove-pipe is held in position by a heavy 
iron rod, either end of which is made 
■^'allery. 



AN OLD NEIGHIJOR. 



341 



It was certainly not because the old church was 
falling into decay that it was given up. There is 
110 trace of decay about it, and there seems no 
reason why it should not last in good condition for 
another century or two. Certainly it is as sound 
and robust now as many buildings that have not 
-seen a quarter of its years. And it is not correct 
to say that it has been given up for it has not. On 
the second Sunday of every month the building is 
opened and service held. No evening service is 
ever held now, and so the candle-sticks have no 
modern successors. 

To visit Colestown and not walk through the 
old church-yard that lies back of St. Mary's is to 
miss one of the most impressive experiences our 
old neighbor has to offer. The original church- 
yard is comprised now within the wider limits of 
the present cemetery, but it keeps its individuality 
intact:; and the rows of closely ranged graves show 
-that those who sleep after the conflict far outnumber 
those who still wake and carry on the struggle of 
ilife. Generations of Colestown's dead lie here, 
some of them in graves so old that all means of 
identifying the sleepers have disappeared. 

Many of the tombstones that remain are quaint 
enough with their unpretending, old-fashioned 
:sculpture, and their equally old-fashioned epitaphs 
One of them bears the date of 1764. Another wa.' 
^erected to the memory of "Hannah, Wife of Benja- 



342 



MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 



min Van Leery," who died In 1766, Another, still" 
older, is a broad, low marble slab, inscribed : " In 
Memory of Humphrey Day, Who Died January 
16, 1760, Aged 75 years." 

A number of the graves have head-stones of the 
simplest and most primitive type. These are not 
of marble, chiselled or unchiselled ; but are simply 
large flat stones in all their original roughness. No 
attempt has been made to smooth the surface or 
even to make the edges less sharp and rough. The 
gray stone, just as it came from the quarr}^, is set 
up to indicate that here some one lies, asleep. 
Some of these have, rudely scratched upon their 
surface, the initials of the sleepers. That is all ; 
no name, no date, no record of age or time of death. 
All of them originally had some letters scratched 
upon them it is said, but some are so old that time 
has effaced even the little they formerly had to tell. 

Probably the strangest and most unique monu- 
ment in tiie old churchyard Is one of the smallest- 
It is a trifi: over a foot in height, is five and a half 
inches broad, and of about the same thickness ; it is 
rounded into an arch at the top; Its edges are 
straight and Its angles tolerably true, and it Is made 
of — brick', red brick ! The clay w^as evidently- 
moulded, by no unskilled hand, into the shape 
required, the letters of the Inscription were scratched 
into the soft surface, and then the monument was- 



AN OLD NEIGHEOPv. 



343 



baked, like any other briclc. The inscrir,|.ion borne 
by this singular head-stone is as follows : 

IN • MEMORy 
OF • JOHN • FLE 
AGO • WHO • DEPAR 
TED • THIS • LIFE • DE 
CEMBR • THE • 20 
1791 

With the reading of this quaint memorial it is as 
ivell to conclude the church-yard walk, and with it 
in our minds, we bid farewell to our Old Neighbor, 




Chapter XXII. 

Moorestozvn To-day. 

?ND what is the net result of all the elements 
and processes that have been touched 
upon in the preceding chapters? What 
is the product of their combination ? In 
orderly and natural sequence of devel- 
opment Moorestown, as it is to-day, appears, the 
fruit — still growing and ripening — from the seed 
whose planting was in the far-away '* old times " 
we have peered into ; and whose growth was shaped 
by the influences we have considered. It is a fruit 
that is goodly to look upon, and still more goodly 
to contemplate in its future completeness. The 
stock that bears it has made a healthy progress, 
and the fruit itself is sound from core to rind. 

In describing Moorestown as it is to-day, the 
first and most obvious thing to say of it is that it is 
a placj of homes, and a place for homes. Its other 
characteristics range themselves about that one, as 
about their natural centre. The first impression 
the stranger receives on entering the place is of 
(344) 



MOORESTOWN TO-DAY 



345 



•cosy and pleasant homes set in the midst of beauti- 
ful surroundings. On every street, in whatever 
direction a walk or drive is taken, the leading 
impression is still of the many charming homes. 
They are in many styles, from the fine old mansion 
of a hundred years ago, fronted by its wide lawn 
and shaded by its grand old trees, to the ornate 
modern house with its trim enclosure and its bewil- 
dering combination of unexpected lines and angles ; 
from the modest little cottage with its honeysuckles 
and rose bushes, to the many-roomed structure with 
all the modern improvements. But they are all 
homes and not merely " residences." One some- 
how feels sure of that at the first glance. 

And this most desirable characteristic will grow 
■with the growth of the town ; in fact its develop- 
ment will be the growth of the town. It is as a place 
for homes that Moorestown will widen its borders 
and add to its figures in the census tables; and 
nowhere is the opportunity for such growth more 
pleasantly suggested. The place has room to grow 
on every side ; and on every side — and even within 
the present limits — tlic locations for more charming 
"homes present themselves. More and more people 
are all the time availing themselves of the oppoitu- 
nities so presented, with the result that the old town 
-is widening its borders year by year, and more and 
'more people are I^o-onring interested in its charac- 
.torislics and re.su. i.cjj. 



246 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

The easy facilities for communication with Phila- 
delphia commend the place strongly to those seek- 
ing homes, no less than to those whose homes are- 
already established here. The distance by rail 
ranges from something over ten miles, to about: 
twelve, depending upon which of the three stations 
is the point of arrival and departure. More than a 
dozen trains going to the city, and as many more 
coming from it, are at the disposal of the traveller 
every week-day the year round ; and on Sundays; 
there are church-trains for such as desire to use 
them. Going from Moorestown to the heart of 
Philadelphia is a matter of less time and trouble 
than going to the same point from many portions 
of the city itself The time required to get to the 
foot of Market street is from thirty to forty minutes.. 

But the railroad is not the only means of com- 
munication with Philadelphia. The turnpike offers 
a capital drive, during a good share of the year, to 
such as prefer that method of travelling and have 
the means at command to gratify their preference. 
It is much in favor for pleasure driving, and it 
would be difficult to make a better selection for 
that purpose. The road is well kept; it runs 
through a pleasant country ; the surface is varied 
enough to avoid monotony, and is not broken into 
troublesome hills ; the distance is not so great as to 
be wearisome, and there is not mucli of it that is. 
not interesting \\\ one way or auotnc:'. 



MOOKESTOVVN TO-DAY. 



34/ 



This readiness of passrig;e to and from Philadel- 
phia constitutes one of the great recommendations 
of Moorestown as a place to set up a home. The 
man whose business is in the city, be he proprietor 
or clerk may have his home here and go back and 
forth daily to his business with scarcely more incon- 
venience than if he dwelt in some of the city's wards. 
The man who has retired from business may still, 
in his retirement, keep up the contact with the 
activity of city life. The ladies of the household 
can readily go on shopping expeditions, or other 
errands of pleasure, and as readily return to home 
surroundings. The younger members of a house- 
hold for whom special city instruction is required, 
can avail themselves of the school-tickets issued by 
the railroad company, and so have home-life and 
city instruction. In short Moorestown is practic- 
ally a rural suberb of Philadelphia. 

So much for its relative position. Another and 
still more important matter for thought and inquiry 
relates to the physical welfare of people after they 
get here. It is pleasant to give the assurance that 
the old town is as healthy as it is beautiful, and that 
is saying a great deal. The ground on which it 
stands is high, forming a ridge; the air is pure and 
has free circulation; there are no streams in the 
immediate neighborhood, to overflow and leave 
pools of water to stagnate and grow green ; the soil 
is a sandy loam through which the rain readily per- 



.340 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

•colates, leaving the surface dry in a remarkably- 
short space of time. As a result of this combina- 
tion of characteristics malaria is not one of the 
accompaniaments of life here ; and there are no 
diseases characteristic of the place. Indeed so far 
as health is concerned Moorestown is as greatly 
favored as any region in the Middle Atlantic States. 
To find much improvement on it one must go West 
^or South into a totally different climate. 

The convenience with which the details of living 
are managed here is another thing that commends 
the place to housewives, particularly. The lively 
writer who was "twelve miles from a lemon" was 
more than twelve miles from Moorestown. Easy 
as it is to get to Philadelphia, it is by no means 
'necessary for residents here to go there in order to 
secure the necessaries, conveniences and many of 
the luxuries of daily life. 

There-are half a dozen general stores here; four 
-or five meat markets ; two or three bakeries ; trim- 
ming and furnishing stores ; shoe stores and tailor 
shops ; livery stables, carriage and blacksmith shops ; 
furniture stores and cabinet shops ; plumbers, tin- 
ners and stove-dealers ; carpenters in plenty. Milk 
wagons, bread wagons and meat wagons furnish 
daily supplies at the doors of the citizens. The 
stores send wagons to the houses of customers to 
receive orders and deliver goods, so that distance 
from the store causes but slight inconvenience ; and 



MOORESTOWN TO-DAY. 



349- 



local express wagons make daily trips to the city^ 
carrying and bringing parcels at slight cost. So 
far as material conveniences are concerned Moores- 
town is pretty well provided. 

The higher requirements of the dwellers here are 
also met to a great extent. Each branch of the 
Friends' Society has a meeting house, and of 
churches there are six — the Protestant Episcopal, 
the- Baptist, the Methodist Episcopal, the Metho- 
dist Protestant, the African Methodist and the 
Roman Catholic. Regular services are held in 
each, and each has a well conducted Sunday School 
connected with it. 

The importance of education is fully realized and 
and adequate provision is made for it. Besides the 
well conducted and thoroughly equipped public 
school, there are the Academy and the High 
School, under the control of the two branches of 
the Friends' Society. In either of them a thor- 
ough mastery of the higher branches may be ob- 
tained. Competent private teachers impart musical 
instruction to those desiring it. A well provided 
library offers excellent opportunities to intelligent 
readers and current literature, in the shape of daily 
newspapers, the magazines and the last new books, 
is obtainable at any time. The postoffice distributes 
three or four mails each day excepting Sundays, 
and by means of it and the telegraph and telephone, 
contact with the outside world is fully maintained^ 



350 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

The mcJical prof^^ssion lias always maintained a 
liigh rank in Moorestown. Eminent names appcar 
in its anna' • -names that carried weight and 
authority far beyond the sphere of their immediate 
activity. The profession still maintains its high 
standard here. Skilful practitioners in both the 
leading schools of medicine and in surgery and 
dentistry are in active practise, and render sickness 
and pain as little formidable as doctors may. There 
are lawyers also well ' skilled in the intricacies of 
legal requirements, and with their learnmg at the 
command of any who may need, it. 

Moorestown, like most other places, is not an 
ideal abiding place. It lacks some things which 
it might wtU have, and has some things which it 
■well might lack. To say that its good qualities far 
outnumber the other kind is to say very little, and 
is to state a fact already abundantly proved by the 
rapidity with which strangers have established 
liomes here in recent years, and by the number of 
-other strangers who are all the time following their 
example. A fair way to state the case is to say 
that the virtues of Moorestown are positive, and' its 
faults negative. Its sins are mostly sins of omission. 
Enough has been told in the preceding chapters of 
this book to show that the old town has a 
reserve of wholesome and well directed energy 
sufficient to supply all important omissions. She 
lias done a e^ood deal in that direction, and is all 



i 



MOORESTOWN TO-DAY. 35 I 

Che time doing more. The process is not a rapid 
one, but perhaps that is as well. What progress 
there is is in the right direction, and a carefully 
considered step, once taken, does not have to be 
retraced. After a journey of two centuries any 
town may well fall into a leisurely pace. So that 
the step is vigorous and firm it may be all the 
better for not being rapid. Stumbles are avoided, 
.and stumbles arc awkward tilings. 



' Chapter XXIII. . 

Moorestown in igoc 

'AY we all live to see what Moorestown is- 
iSImII ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ y^^^ 1900! It is not a verv 
i^y^^<^ extravagant aspiration although it sounds- 
^^Si^^j a little as if it were. Closing accounts 
^ with one century, and opening a new set 

of books for business with another century seems 
like a very momentous transaction which must 
necessarily be a long way off in the future. But, 
when we consider the matter, the Nineteenth Cen- 
tury cannot possibly hold out more than fourteen 
years longer. 

But a great many things can happen in the space 
of fourteen years; and it is interesting to speculate 
on the character of the happenings in I^vloorestown 
in the interval. Judging from the past and the 
present the old town v/ill occupy the time in going 
forward from good to better, and at an accelerated 
pace. Things that are desirable will be more readily 
brought to pass, and things that are undesirable 
will be more promptly done away with. The com- 
munity will more and more fully realize the capa- 



AluuKi'-b i wvv i\ lis 



3S3 



•bilitics of the place, and will be more and more 
ready to develop them in the right way. 

In the year 1900 there will be a good deal larger 
town on the Moorestown ridge than now occupies 
it. Its Western limit will have been pushed a 
.goodly distance below the Forks of the Road, and 
its Eastern bound will be considerably above Fair 
Ground Avenue. Between the two extremes the 
space on Main' street, Second street, Third street 
and the cross streets will have been filled up. The 
Eastern end of the tov/n in particular, will have 
developed in a manner to surprise the resident who 
goes away now and comes back then. Not only 
will Main street be lined with homes, but other 
streets will have been opened and built upon, and 
the fields of to-day will be the lawns and door-yards 
-of 1900. 

North of the railr.^' I an equally noticeable change 
will have been crr.cted. Not only will the filling- 
up process keep on East of Chester avenue, but it 
will spread to the Westward ; and a goodly share 
of the space between Chester avenue and Church 
Road will be laid off in streets and the streets for 
a considerable distance to the North will be well 
built up. Not all the space will be occupied, but a 
good deal of it will be. 

In the year 1900 Main street will no longer form 
the Southern limit of the town. By that time peo- 



■354 MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

pie will have invaded the slope of the valley to a 
far greater extent than now. It will have been dis- 
covered that even steep places can be terraced, and 
that the smooth and level places in the world arc 
not always and necessarily the best. 

A community of such proportions and such ex- 
pansive force will strongly desire to manage its 
ovv'n affairs, and the desire will have crystalized into 
an act of incorporation. Moorestown will have its 
own local government in the year 1900, and will no 
longer be merely a v/ell built up part of Chester 
township. This result will not be attained at once, 
or v/ithout much balancing of opposing considera- 
tions. In the end, however, the considerations for 
will outv/eigh those against, and the thing will be 
accomplished. 

The Telford pavement is already on its way, and 
when Main street has demonstrated to the rest of 
the town what a thoroughly desirable thing a well 
paved streeet is, the other streets of the place will 
emulate its excellence and have good pavements of 
their own, of one sort or another. The sidewalks, 
also, will declare their independence of mud, and 
'* falling weather" will leave but a slight and trans- 
ient record under foot Some portion of this 
improvement — not all of it — will wait for local self- 
government to carry it into effect; but the year 
1003 will see it accomplisliod. 



MOORESTOWN IN 1900. 

Streets and sidewalks are for use in tiic evening 
as well as in the day time. Here and there a public 
spirited citizen recognizes that great truth, and 
honors his conviction by hanging a reflecting lamp 
on the front of his house, or setting up a lamp-po:,t 
at his front gate. Every wayfarer whose feet these 
beacons save from stumbling blesses in his heart 
the man who lighted that lamp. And there are 
many such wayfarers, every night in the year; for 
the times have changed since those leisurely years 
when all legitimate business that was not concluded 
by sunset could wait until the next day, and when 
all respectable people were expected to be in bed 
by nine o'clock. By the year 1900 the community 
•as a whole will have recognized this fact, and Vv-ill 
have proclaimed its recognition of it by having all 
the streets lighted by some ad -<|uate public system 
of illumination. The system -..dopted may involve 
the use of the electric light; it may require only 
oil lamps, or it may make use of some agent not 
dreamed of now — so rapid is the advance of prac- 
tical ideas. But whatever the means employed, the 
public streets will, without doubt, be publicly 
lighted. 

Another public want will have demanded and 
obtained public recognition. It may not have been 
fully met and satisfied by the end of this century, 
but progress will have been made in that direction. 



J ^6 MOORESTUWN, OLD AND NEW. 

A community of such proportions as JMoorestown 
is to attain cannot always depehd on wells and 
rain-filled tanks for its water supply. A system of 
general distribution from some source will be 
devised and carried into effect. 

One potent influence that will work toward this 
end will be the necessity for an adequate and reli- 
able source of supply in case of fire. For by the 
year 1900 we shall have got beyond depending 
wholly on Providence and a hand-engine for pro- 
tection against the flames. Some organized method 
-of defense will have been adopted, and adequate 
appliances will be at command. 

It would be a blessed worid if every man could 
afford to own the home in which he desires to 
shelter his family. Unhappily every man cannot, 
so very many must pay rent. Unhappily, again, a 
large proportion of these cannot afford to live in 
large houses and pay large rent for them. And the 
class so unfortunately circumscribed as to money 
resources includes a goodly number of intelligent, 
educated and refined men and women ; people 
whom any community is the better for having 
among its elements, and whose coming any com- 
munity would do well to invite and encourage. 
This state of things will be more thoroughly realized 
here in the year 1900 than it now is, and more 
complete provision will have been made for the 



MOORESTOWN IN 1900. 



357 



accommodation of the class of people referred to. 
The owners of property, and the men having money 
to invest will see that a safe and profitable thing to 
do is to erect moderate sized houses — prettily de- 
signed, conveni@*itly«ift«?yi^edan*d pleasantly located 
— and to offer them at a moderate rental to the 
men who draw small salaries but who nevertheless 
object to living in it!-contrived and badly placed 
homes. 

With the increase of population there will be an 
ever increasing pressure of the strong necessity, 
common to human nature everywhere, for relaxa- 
tion and entertainment. Individuals and communi- 
ties must have varied opportunities for pleasure, and 
will find or make s\$€h oi^^i'tunities. In times past 
the Moorestown Literary Association demonstrated 
how ready this community was to welcome and 
pay for good intellectual recreation a quarter of a 
century ago. It would welcome the opportunity 
still more eagerly to-day, if the opportunity were 
offered it. For the most part people are not dis- 
p.osed to ride t© l^i^^ff^ S^r ^ e-v^i-rfng's ^nterta*^- 
ment, pay car fare in addition to the admission fee, 
hurry out to catch the train before the end of the 
lecture or performance, and get back to their homes 
after midnight. So they go without their evening's 
entertainment. But they want it all the same. 

Before the year 1900 they will have Ihe opportu- 



35 S MOORESTOWN, OLD AND NEW. 

nity for it afforded them here at home. Neither 
opera nor theatricals will be among the resources 
presented ; but there will be good lectures, good 
concei-ts, good readings and good scientific demon- 
strations. These are all available for Moorestown, 
and these Moorestown will surely have, to its great 
enjoyment and advantage. 

Of course an adequate and fitting place for such 
entertainments will have been provided. Business 
enterprise and public spirit will have combined to 
produce a public hall in which the entertainers can 
appear with every advantage, and in which the 
audiencd can sit through an evening in comfort and 
enjoyment. It will be commodious enough to 
accommodate the largest audience the population 
will contribute. It will be elegant in an unpreten- 
tious way, and will be as comfortable as thorough 
Ventilation, good heating arrangements and the 
best seating contrivances can make it. The audi- 
ence will be safe from fire, and from the worse 
danger of panic, because of exits ample for the most 
pressing emergency; and there'will be a thorough 
protection against the disorderly element. It will 
be a place to which the most refined can go with 
pleasure; and through the agency of an association 
or a public committee, the public will be regularly 
and frequently invited to an evening's enjoyment 
there. 



MOORESTOWN IN 1900. -scg 

Moorestovvn as it is to-day, with its opportunities 
for healthful comfort and quiet happiness, is a dwel- 
ling place good to see and most good to live in ; 
but with these added advantages supplementing 
and rounding out its present excellence, what rural 
or suburban town can surpass Moorestown in.1900 ? 



I. W. HEULINGS' SONS, 



DEALERS IN 



H 



-^ ^} 



1. 



LIME, FERTILIZERS, 

Doors, Sasli, Biis, Mers. loiiR U, 

Established 1841. 
YARDS AT 

MOORESTOV/N, 

RIVERTON, and 

FORK LANDING, 



ISTeT^ Terse3r- 



GEO. W. HEATON, 

N. E. corner Main and Church Streets, MOORESTOWN, N, J., 
Dealer in 

First -Class Groceries, Dry Goods, 

NOTIONS, HARDWARE, 

BOOTS, SHOES, CROCKERY, ETC., ETC. 

Ready Mixed Paints, Oils, Etc, at the Lowest Market Price. 



V^ALTON'S 
MOORESTOWN EXPRESS 

Established 1876. 

All Errands to the City and other Business 
Transacted Promptly and on 
Reasonable Terms. 
H^P. WALTON. 

The Old Reliable Bakery, 

Established in 1851. 

JOHN H. EISELE, successor to GEO. P. EISELE, Sr. 

BOSTON HOME-MADE BREAD a Specialty. 

t3;"9,=. Plain Cakes and Pies always on hand. All Fancy Cake Made to Order. 

Main St,, 31ooreMoiV7i, seco^id door above Totvu Hall, 

All Orders Filled at shortest notice. Prices as low as the lowest. Our Goods speak 
for themselves. 

ioersstown Fernitare ianefaeterf 

— AND — ' 

HOUSE-FURNISHING STORE. 
Upholstering and House-Furnishing a Specialty. 

GILBERT AITKEN, MOORESTOWN, N. J. \ 



MOORESTOWN PHARMACY, 

IN BURR'S BUILDING, MAIN STREET, 



At all times can be found 



Pure Drnp ai Clieniicals, Toilet aM Fauci Articles. 

Pure Wines and Liquors, for Medicinal Use Only. The preparing of Physicians* 
Prescriptions a Specialty. Always have on hand a full line of fure Spices, whole 
and ground. An extensive assortment of Patent Medicines always on hand at Manu- 
FACTUKEKs' Retail Pkices. Orders received and answered with care and dispatch. 

T7;7'.i^I-iTE:i^ S. X^EETTE, I=li.a,mcia,cist. 

BOOTS AND SHOES 

The Best and 

Most Popular Styles for Ladies and 

Gentlemen Always in Stock. 

CUSTOM WORK A SPECIALTY. 

Rubber Goods, 

Of the Best Quality and in Every Variety. 

TRUiNKS, VALISES, SATCHELS, ETC. 

Main St., Moorestown, next Methodist Church. 




JOHN C. BELTON, 

{Formerly vnth the late Sam' I Jones,) I 



~| 



UNDERtAKER,?^^ 



New Jersey. 



MOORESTOWN 

SMALL FMT AND PLAIT FARl 

STRAWBERRIES, APPLES, 

RASPBERRIES, PEACHES, 

BLACKBERRIES, PEARS, &c 

Stock Miverefl Free in tlie Vicinity of Moorestown. 

CATALOOUES FSSE TO THOSE WHO AFFL7. 

S. C. DeCOU, 

Moorestown, Burlington Co., New Jersey 

Ladies Furnishing Goods, 
TRIMMIMS, PATTERNS, FINE DRY gOODS 

NOTIONS, EMBB0IDEI17 MATERIALS, &c 



Full ahd complete lines, at reasonable prices, at the Ladies' Furnishiii 
Store of 

ESTHER STILES, 



South Side Main Street, Moorestown, N. J„ between the Bank and t 
Town Hall. 












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